It's about the food

Last night, I prepared a meal for my beautiful wife, son, daughter in law and close friend. It was a new recipe and it took me over 3 hours to prep and cook. (2 1/2 of those hours were just prep work) It was a lot of work and with my carpel tunnel and joint pain, things went slowly. But when my son took his first bite of one of the cheese puffs and exclaimed "This is amazing!" it made it all worth while. No body that evening had ever had the dishes I prepared. Everyone said they thought they were fantastic and really liked them. I'm not trying to brag but cooking is my talent. It is one thing at which I am really good. I have seen my sons and friends excel in their talents and cheer them on. Mine is cooking and when I hear people talk about how good something taste, that is my standing ovation!
There are a couple of reasons why I believe having a good time is about the food. First off, it seems that when ever people get together for any kind of event, there is food. We are a hungry being. Secondly, I view cooking and serving as a form of nurturing for those I care about. Finally, throw out some distasteful, bland meal and see how the conversations and interactions go down the drain. Put some TV dinners in the microwave, set up some TV trays and turn on the tube. No conversation, no interaction, no nurturing, just some factory prepared slop that is choked down as quickly as possible so they don't have to taste it. Put out something that people love and suddenly everyone is happy and having a great time.
I think about cooking most of my waking hours. I have become so passionate about cooking that I seem to be always planning another meal or developing a new recipe. The only frustrating thing about being passionate about something is wanting to do it full time but not having the resources to. I pray everyday for the doors to open for me to have my own restaurant. I want a place where people can bring their children and loved ones and know that it is going to be a great meal and a great environment where everyone can relax and have a good time. I want a place where kids grow up and bring their own kids to because of the food and fond memories. I believe I will have that place soon. I don't know where or how but I trust God to bring it about. After all, even God has planned a table for his followers so we know that food is important to him as well. I'm Dad and I'm just saying...it's about the food.