Sunday Scribblings #1 - SPICY

I have decided to join the Sunday Scribblings
group. I did, after all, start blogging so that I would WRITE more...I'll use Sundays for my creative writing day...



"A pinch of salt
some garlic too
a little spice
I give to you"




I never cook without at least two forms of pepper by my side. I was born in ANgola, Africa, where my parents both lived for much of their young adulthood. The cultural influence of that country followed them, and in turn me, back to Portugal. It was in the music we listened to, in the art work we displayed, and most definitely in the food we ate. Mom was never afraid of spices, pepper, curry, paprika, you name it, she used it. She never met a recipe she couldn't add to and make better, tastier, spicier. And this is how I learned to cook. Through my teen years and up until today, I have also surrounded myself with friends of different cultures. Laotian, Thai, Indian, Cambodian, Haitian, Liberian, Nigerian, Italian, Irish, Portuguese, American, they've all a little something to the table. My table. I take things I learn from each of their cuisines and I apply it to mine. I live alone, therefore, I don't really cook very often. It isn't as much fun to spend hours over a meal, only to eat it alone, in front of the television, in minutes. But I do love to expirement. My spice rack is an entire cabinet in my kitchen. I never cook the same thing twice, because I never measure, I never follow directions, I grab things haphazzardly from the spice cabinet and throw them in. Very seldom do I end up with an undesirable product. And the spicier it is, the better.

I have to remind myself, when I am cooking for others, that not everyone can handle spice the way I can. Cut back on the pepper a bit, I don't want to make you cry at my table. From years of throwing everything from chilli peppers to jalapenos to wasabi in my food, my tongue is desensitized. I'll sit at a table with other and they'll comment on how hot something is, and I'm barely blinking. "It could use a bit more" I'll think.

And I try to live the way I cook. Surrounded by different colors, experiencing unique flavors, giving it all I've got, and throwing in just a little bit more for an extra added jolt. I't always about how spicy it is. More pepper anyone??

See other "Sunday Scribblings" here