skinny love

there was a time when food was my enemy. it was complicated, toxic, misunderstood, controlling, sometimes passive-aggressive -- all the signs of a classic co-dependent relationship.  we struggled for a long time, food and i, before arriving at a safe, neutral place: food is fuel.  this is how i typically think about it now... food is energy in, so i can put energy out.  don't you find that when something is formulaic, it makes it somehow more manageable? but, like most relationships in life, i find that my relationship with food can't really be boiled down to a simple equation, E=mc2.  there is another all-important element which isn't accounted for in my current experience, and that is: food is love.  

let me paint a picture for you what life pre-roadtrip-to-skinny was like: come home, make one of two single-serving meals in my repertoire (involving cooking pasta or defrosting chicken apple sausage), eat on couch, in front of tv.  

let's contrast that with the new scenario: colette and i look for a recipe that excites us and we put together a menu; we have courses! appetizer, entree, and dessert!; we purchase fresh, seasonal ingredients; we take on roles of chef and sous-chef; we listen to music and catch up on our lives as we bustle around the kitchen; we open a bottle of wine; we care if we burn the dish because someone else other than ourself has to eat it; we set the table; we light candles; we eat slowly; we sit and rub our bellies, and digest. and then we do the dishes. 

the former is food as fuel. the latter is food as love, fostered in the preparation, presentation, and enjoyment of a meal.  can you see the difference?

p.s. here is the recipe from last night: grilled scallops and nectarines with corn and tomato salad, courtesy of epicurious.com.