A Taste of Home

After the last few nights being full of Wendy's, gas station snacks and re-fried beans my body screamed for a break. Tonight at dinner when my family brought home a larger then family size portion of fried rice with assorted meats I found my perfect excuse. "Yo soy vegetariano, lo siento." I quickly grabbed my purse and made a fast dash to the super market in search of something that wouldn't leave me feeling sluggish and overly full. I loaded my basket full of zucchini, green beans, red peppers, and of course garlic and onions. After spending about 1 dollar on my fresh produce I returned to the kitchen and began the process of chopping and slicing. With the garlic sizzling in olive oil and the onions becoming perfectly translucent I began adding the rest of my bounty. When i saw my younger host sister watching me in astonishment I realized not everyone knows how to do this simple task of sauteing vegetables. I tried to explain to her a few simple steps but she lost interest and continued to eat her greasy rice with a piece of white bread as a utensil. As I threw in some salt, pepper and dried oregano the smell hit me. I caught myself smiling because not only did it smell delicious, it smelled like home. I was brought back to sitting at the kitchen counter while my mom multi tasked like a crazy woman creating a mouth-watering meal for my family and I. Even though I never got formal cooking lessons from her she had managed to implant the vital information into my brain that I needed for most dishes. Olive oil, garlic and onions. Even though I'm thousands of miles away I felt right at home till the very last bite.