A Mothers Recipe: Fried Eggs

Ingredients:

• One or Two Eggs
• A Little Bit of Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

• Heat the Pan with Passion
• Drizzle the Oil Softly
• Crack the Egg(s) Carefully
• Cook the Egg(s) Patiently
• Season the Egg(s) Generously
• Serve the Egg(s) Lovingly

My mom always started the morning with a whistling kettle and crackling eggs. Undercooked eggs every day and overcooked eggs every other day. Although always a tad bit too salty, I grew fond of its imperfect nature. All it needed was a mother’s touch, that was enough to satisfy my young appetite. Even now, my mom’s cooking remains a luxury, as it’s her affection that brings out the true flavors presented in all of her dishes. This doesn’t mean I was different from any other child though. I threw my own fair set of tantrums and displayed ignorance of her dedication to being a mother. But it was the heat that bordered the kitchen from the dining room and the sweat that dripped from my mother’s face that converted my impatience to understanding. 

Food has always been a way for my family to stay so close to one another. It’s a form of communication I never really considered as a child. But it’s those Thanksgivings, Christmas dinners, and spontaneous barbecues that allowed me to consume my Peruvian background. Family is sincerely cherished in my home and to keep this custom alive, food plays a huge aspect in our persistence. This persistence is a constant reminder that we are not alienated but rather part of something more. The community my family has built over the years started with an offering of a meal. Eating with someone is part of the process of getting to know someone. There is a certain vulnerability that comes along with it. Their mannerisms, the plate they choose, their choice of utensil, how much of the food they let go to waste, or if they even bothered to wash their own plate. You never really notice it, but when you do you come to grasp the type of person you are dealing with. The meal doesn’t have to be extravagant either to determine a personality. So the next time you ever want to get closer to someone, grab a meal with them. I know the next time my mom fries a couples of eggs and sits down to eat with me, I’ll always be ready to thank her.