Cooking up the good life

No, I´m not talking about my kids….I´m the one who lost it the other day, and yes, it was about lunch!

We have been traveling in Bolivia and Peru for just over a month.  We have seen incredible sights, met interesting and lovely people, slept in many different places, and eaten out every day, sometimes 3 times.  Heavenly right?  Hasn´t everyone dreamed of this luxury?  No need to shop, cook or wash dishes.  Simply sit down, make a choice, and viola, the meal appears.

Here´s the thing.  I LOVE to cook.  Every day, I think about my next meal….what I crave, what I need, and what is available.  I often go to sleep planning tomorrow´s scones, or creating my shopping list for the week of meals.  I relish the opportunity to use a local cheese, a seasonal vegetable, a favorite whole grain, or tasty nut in a compelling new flavor combination, or even in an old stand by.  I barely finish one meal before I am thinking about the next.  I know my body, my rythm; these thoughts, these feelings are my constant companion.

And the truth is, I like my routine.  I miss my routine.

It doesn´t help that here, in this part of the world, and at this time of year, people eat copious amounts of potatoes, corn and white rice.  While I love the more colorful varieties, they are starting to make me feel sluggish.

Yesterday, I just wanted simple, green food.  Salad, broccoli, brown rice kind of food,  I wanted it NOW, and I didn´t want to worry about what anyone else was eating but me.  Simple, maybe, but within minutes I was in tears! (and not long after, so were my kids).  In any case, I had to let go and feel the sadness.  The joy and nourishment that comes when you have a relationship with your food is life sustaining.  While I am incredibly lucky to have the means to travel, and feed myself and my family, there is really nothing like getting messy making simple food, fresh from the source, and then sitting down to eat it.

I got some vegetables, and they were green, and tasty, but my heart is still waiting to get back into the kitchen.