Joyce Bradley
August 24, 2013
English 1101 Section 022

Stew For the Soul
What comes to your mind when you think about food? There are many dishes or certain foods that can make you feel all warm and good on the inside. Food can be used for comfort from pain and sometimes anger. There has been numerous occasions where I have used a certain food as a comfort or it has played an important role in my life. This place in time in my life was bad and someone very special to me made everything better with just a simple bowl of her famous stew and every bad feeling, thought, emotion that I was feeling became a lost memory.
My grandmother was my best friend, protector, and comfort zone, the person that I go to when things were bad and I didn’t have any other explanation to the problem. She’s always had some words of wisdom or she would make you a special treat that will just wash all your troubles away only if it was for the moment. My Granny seemed like she always had something for everything from ice-cream for a bruise or soup on a cold night. For many years I watched my granny prepare different dishes for members of our family, but never really understood the meaning behind some of her dishes until it was one night that I needed one of her dishes to cheer me up and put a smile on my face. That night I found out just how important food could be to one person and the joys it can bring you if you truly believe that certain dish served its purpose and made you feel better after a bad situation.
I could remember the night like it just happened yesterday. I was ten years old and it was a cold winter’s night and my father had promised me the week before that he would come and pick me up the weekend to spend time with him and my other siblings. Just as any kid my age I was excited to know that I would be spending the entire weekend with my dad and my sisters and brothers. Friday came the day he was supposed to pick me up, an hour went by then three, by that time no call and no show I knew he had lied to me and I was so hurt. My granny came in my room and I asked her why he had to lie to me and she felt my pain. After a little talk about how it wasn’t my fault and he was the one missing out she told me she had a remedy for my blues. We went into the kitchen I have watched her make this stew many times before, but for some reason the purpose of this batch felt different and very special to me.
I watched her cut up the potatoes, tomatoes and the meat when it was done. She talked to me as she mixed, cut, and chopped. This special moment with my granny was the