Food Memories

Yesterday I purchased a heart.
 

A dark chocolate treat that had been recommended to me for months now. A marzipan heart. 

Marzipan, I was warned, is a hit or miss flavor. Some love it, some loathe it, but either way, I had to try it. Having previously enjoyed marzipan, I agreed. 

One bite and I was transported to 2005. I worked for a tea house and we kept petit fours, made with marzipan, in the walk in fridge. Every day I would sneak in fridge, looking for just one that was too damaged to serve to the public. A petit four where the flower fell off or it was slightly crushed. I’d snag the damaged petit four, because there was always one, and share it with my cohorts. We were all friends who worked together. My boss, who enjoyed the damaged petit fours as much as the rest of us. My best friend, who still shares whatever she has with me. We were all in on it together, and those petit fours represented more than a sweet and delicious snack. They represented the hours we all sat laughing and enjoying tea together. They represented a connection between women who at that moment in history needed one another. 

It’s funny how many memories can be connected to tastes and smells. How an unexpected bite can bring it all back, like a time machine for our senses. 

This is what makes food difficult for so many of us. Sometimes it’s wonderful. Certain dishes remind me of family, remind me of friends, remind me of occasions long past. And sometimes, when you take an unexpected bite of something, like I did with that marzipan heart, the memories are priceless. 

I want more of those hearts, but I understand it won’t be the same. The memory is never as strong when you try to recreate it. The fifth heart will never taste as good as the first. 

What tastes or smells remind you of happy memories? 

-Mahalo