Greetings Dear Reader,
For dinner this evening we had some excellent shrimp and
grits. It is one of those dishes that is
stunning or terrible. Thank you, Amy, for
reminding me of a memory that is dear to me.
Properly prepared it brings back memories of feasts from my childhood
and meals shared with loved ones in my later years.
Two of my fondest memories of it are when I was a boy and
enjoyed it with my Grandfather. My
Grandmother prepared it for his birthday when I was eight. The grits were the same creamy grits that she
served with breakfast but she added shallots and roasted red pepper. The shrimp were large gulf shrimp sautéed in
her churned butter and cooked until perfectly tender.
The second memory was when Avalon prepared the same
dish. She, however, was not accustomed to
using red pepper. Following the
directions, she sprinkled the pepper on the sautéing shrimp. She turned away for a moment to prepare the
salad. Turning back to the shrimp, she
saw that the red pepper she had sprinkled was gone. She added more. Turning back to her salad and then back to
her shrimp she saw the pepper again had, in her words, evaporated. She added more. Just to be sure. She added a great deal more.
When dinner was served, she saw my excitement at her having
made shrimp and grits. We filled our
plates and prayed. I took a large bite
of shrimp, chewed a few times, and promptly caught fire. The shrimp was delicious but also volcanic. Avalon realized her error as she ate her
first bite and told of her adding the pepper each time thinking it had
evaporated. I ate every bit of that
shrimp and enjoyed every moment.
My joy was not because it was hot. It was because of the love that had gone into
cooking one of my favorite memories for me.
I have had shrimp and grits since then often. Each time, I recall these two meals, served
decades apart but both filled with love.
As we turn toward a time where feasting and food become a
big part of the celebration, take the time to remember. Recall the feasts or meals where you felt the
love in the preparation and share those stories Dear Reader. I know I would love to hear them. It is no accident that the one we follow
intends to start the next part of the story with a feast.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner.
He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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