My step dad Marshall never cooked, but he still showed affection through food. In the 25 years that he and my mom were together, I don’t recall ever seeing him prepare a meal. Of course, there was an occasional bowl of cereal or plate of cut up fruit, but no turning on the stove or oven and actually cooking something. They both worked, so my mom wasn’t a “stay at home mom” that would have the meal on the table when her husband arrived home (as was the case with many of her generation.) [more…]
Marshall’s way of showing affection through food was by taking you out to a nice restaurant. He loved sharing his favorite local “haunts” in Marin Del Rey (near LA). Eating out on a regular basis was new to me – I was more of a home cooked meal girl from Buffalo, NY. Along with eating out came a whole new array of foods I was not used to eating or cooking – seafood in particular. We didn’t eat a lot of fresh fish growing up as mom was afraid of having the house smell “fishy” (this changed in her later years.)
Over the years I came to appreciate and enjoy these food explorations with Marshall, and to this day credit him with eating my first piece of fresh Halibut, and enjoying Chinese food that didn’t come from a smorgasbord!
I truly believe that food is the universal language of love – and there are so many ways to express it. Do you know of anyone in your life who shows affection through food who doesn’t cook?
