Chicken Soup and Stewed Pears

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She was born in 1909, and she died when I was about eight. I don’t remember all that much about her, but I have no bad memories of her. She was a kind woman who loved her children and grandchildren. She had a tough life. She married young, in 1929, when my mother was already on her way. She had eight children, six survived into adulthood. She lived in a small village, the family never had much money, and she had to deal with a great many problems. She suffered from diabetes and she died when she was only 60 years old.

I only have a few memories, of the house where she lived, of the food she made for anyone who happened to drop in, of her hospitality. She made great chicken soup and delicious stewed pears. She was a big woman, and that always felt good and comfortable. I just wish I had more memories.

Sometimes I wonder what she would think of me, whether my world would not be completely foreign to her. I live in the big city, I have a career and my own life. I have moved away from all she knew. I hope she would be proud of me.

Meanwhile, we are in the middle of Lent. I have decided to hold on to the rules I started out with some ten years’ ago. A co-worker of mine at the time was a firm believer in the values of Lent. He would eat very little these 40 days and you could always watch him grow thinner in the period before Easter. His rules were very strict, and over the weeks this would also affect his moods. He wasn’t much fun just before Easter. I did admire his determination though.
After a couple of years I decided to join him, and the first few times I stuck quite rigourously to “The List”, as he called it. These days I still try to do that, but after a year of starting to faint after a couple of weeks I adjusted the list a bit. But still, no sweets or cookies, no alcohol, and eating less than I usually do. And more exercise and reflection. It is a challenge, because you can do without the luxuries, and you can eat simple meals that still taste good, but the temptation is always there. It always feels good to know you have resisted it, and it isn’t even that hard most of the time. Then again, it’s only been a week so far.

What I like about this is that it is finite, this is not a regime you have to submit to throughout the year. And food tastes so good at Easter!! Now I feel a bit hungry most of the time, but at the same time I eat more healthy stuff than I usually do. I grab a banana or an apple instead of something sweet. And suddenly I really notice the smell of food, of fresh bread when I cycle past a bakery, or of whatever the neighbours are cooking. And my food tastes so much better. You learn to appreciate again what you always take for granted. At the same time I do realise I don’t really miss all the snacks between meals that much, in the end it is all in the mind.