. It was given to us as a wedding gift from a close friend. Disclaimer: when I say I just started reading it, I mean about 5 minutes ago. However, after only the first 2 paragraphs, I'm almost certain I will love this book.Excerpt:
"What kind of food do you cook? When people find out we run an underground supper club, that's often the first question out of their mouths... If we're feeling polite, we say something vague about Southern and French or Middle Eastern and Indian. But the honest answer is simply: fucking fantastic food."
Forking Fantastic is written by two women who met in New York and started cooking because they loved it... and they were poor. They spend their Sundays going to farmer's markets and butchers, then invite friends and any strangers they'd like to bring into their home. It started with a group of five. Now, at any given supper they have 20 hungry people in their home. They love food and they love people. Recipes from their own culinary adventures pepper the book.
This is so much like my own upbringing - you feed people because you love them and that's how you show it. I happen to be Hispanic, but this is a common thread among so many cultures. Something I've learned in my adulthood is to love people in general, not just your family. I feel like I could really embrace the Key West motto, "One Human Family." Say hello to the part of me I affectionately call Hippie Shirley. Add this to the idea that food equals love and you've got a person who could live to make as many people as possible, even complete strangers, feel loved via full bellies.
On any random weeknight, I might just eat a bag of salad and an easy chicken dish, but if you add others to the mix I will gladly put some effort into making an awesome meal. If you bring people in during the cooking process instead of after the meal is on the table, it becomes a bonding experience. I say this as I eat a grilled cheese while hunched over my computer desk. In the mirror, I'm showing off a long dangling string of colby jack smothered in goat cheese.
For a long time now, I've been on this journey of self-discovery, trying to decide what to do with my time. Writing is a big one, obviously, but I also enjoy painting, archery, yoga and a few others. I'd like to take one of these interests and elevate it along with my writing. After all, I'll need something to write about. Starting this book, I feel like cooking and feeding people might be a great way to spend my time, leave a mark on others and have plenty of stories to tell. Most importantly, I love it.
One of my fondest memories living in Gainesville around all my college friends was making a shrimp boil. We invited as many people as wanted to come, cooked up a huge pot of shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn, and covered a table in butcher paper. All the food and condiments spilled over the table and everyone ate up, no utensils needed. It was so casual, relaxed and unpretentious. It was both innocent and rowdy.
I would love to make more memories like that one. I will always remember it.
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