Coming to terms with grief through food
I came across this article recently “How I Cooked My Way Through Grief“. The author describes how the kitchen and making comfort foods became the space where she most naturally could process her grief. “Cooking gave a purpose and rhythm to my days: where I …
Last week was the rollercoaster of emotions that I anticipated. The build up to Thanksgiving turned out to be tougher in the grief department than the actual day. I thought about the conversations and planning with my mom in prior years that always made that …
This feels like a natural starting place. After testing various scone recipes for many years, my mom and I stumbled on a cream scone recipe about 10 years ago and have relied on it ever since for holidays, visits throughout the year, and regular cozy …
I cooked my way through the first few weeks after my mom’s unexpected passing in August 2023. I spent a few weeks at my family’s house helping my dad tend to all of the sad, but necessary responsibilities that we had to prioritize: communicating the …
I cooked my way through the first few weeks after my mom’s unexpected passing in August 2023. I spent a few weeks at my family’s house helping my dad tend to all of the sad, but necessary responsibilities that we had to prioritize: communicating the news to extended friends and past colleagues, the bank, the insurance company, magazines that she subscribed to…our to-do list was long. While we made our way through the list, it felt soothing to cook in her kitchen, to use the remains of things she left in the fridge, to bake scones for my dad that she prepped and froze for us just the week before. I couldn’t bring myself to cook our favorites yet, but I had this rising fear that I would forget all of our recipes, all of our traditions without her there to remind me every time (What did we put out on our Thanksgiving table again? How do I make my grandmother’s Italian Wedding Soup? Did I ever write down our annual Christmas cookies list?).
I’m continually overwhelmed by how to preserve her memory, how to remain close to her going forward, and how to record our food memories for myself and family, so I accurately pass on our traditions and build on them.
Food, memories, and grief are intricately intertwined for many. Through this site, I hope to find ways to celebrate – and preserve – our memories and work my through this first year without my mom.