My memere

This post isnt going to be a review about a food I ate or a place I went, but instead...the reason I'm a foodie.

Today I was doing my norm; cooking without a recipe, for a dish I have never made before, with flavors I had never brought together before. And my mother tells me for probably the millionth time a weird compliment that she always seams to bring up when I'm in my perfect element. She told me that the only other person in the family that could cook like me was my memere (grandmother). She said that we have this gift to be able to taste the food before its together and know if it will or will not be ok. That she was amazed and again wished she could cook like us. And as I went through our pantry picking up cans and putting them down and being able to taste the end dish in my head without even adding that item I knew I had to write about her.

Now her name is Emma and she is still alive and in a nursing home now. Sadly her gift isnt being used anymore. She had a stroke a few years ago that left her unable to leave her bed and with all the meds they put her on, she just isnt the same. But thats not the women I remember...

She was never famous, never anything special to anyone but just the people that know her. But she had some amazing talents. The obvious one...she could cook...oh and bake. Actually I cant really bake that well. I can follow a recipe for baking and it can come out, but she could change the recipe and make it that much better. In our family, we still use her recipes. Especially the homemade bread...YUM!

She was the BEST seamstress. She couldnt read a pattern but instead would look at a magazine or a catalog and BAM she could make it in a few hours. All my school pictures of when I was young is of me in her homemade dresses. And even though I'm starting a lil late in this hobby I'm really good at sewing too. I can just see what I want and without making a pattern or drawing anything out I can make it. I'm still stuck at simple designs so dont look for any of my fashions yet!

And the last I'm gonna mention which is kinda humorous is that we have the same high pitched voice. I can remember throughout my childhood that I had a laugh that was so high pitched my mom had to cover her ears cause it hurt her. Well, I got that from my memere. When something bad, or actually anything would happen and she wanted an audience she would scream. But because it was so loud and so high it went through walls (I swear you can hear it next door) everyone would come running. I dont scream for any reason like she did but I still have that voice.

She might have not made it into the history books or been remembered for anything great by everyone. But because of her genes I'm who I am, I guess being a foodie does run in your blood. Naw...my blood is more like red wine, I mean I use it enough when I cook!