Soulful food!

I walked out of the doctor’s office and got into my car. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve eaten McDonald’s or Wendy’s. I try to eat healthy. However, I found myself suddenly fighting the urge to stop.

The urge was like a magnet pulling on me. I nearly turned my car in the other direction.

Where did the craving come from?

My mom, of course.

Five minutes of pain

When I was little kid, I had a lot of issues with my ears. I had nerve damage in my left ear and would get this strange muffled sensation that made me feel like I was struggling underwater. The doctor would drain my ears of wax and build-up. I remember the draining procedure causing a quite bit of pain.

One time in particular the doctor was cavalier in his approach and probed too close to a nerve. I convulsed on the exam table and let out a scream like I had been shot. The doctor apologized but it did nothing to diminish the pain in my ear.

My mom encouraged me to hold on. She told me that she would take me out to McDonalds if I was brave for five more minutes. My little brain didn’t understand much, but I understood that. Five minutes of pain for a fun treat. Somehow it worked.

A McDonald’s cheeseburger and french fry for the win.

Mom and son

As I drove home, I thought about how my mom and I have bonded over the years over food. When my mom worried about me in high school in the 80s and wanted to know what was going on in my life, she’d pick me up after cross country practice and take me out for dinner. We’d stop at a local restaurant where we could get a relatively cheap steak and salad bar. I would feast to my hearts content and spill my guts out.

In college, she’d pick me up on a Thursday night or Sunday afternoon and we’d go to Elby’s, a popular chain of restaurants in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I appreciated the food. However, I was most grateful to get away from campus. It gave me the chance to let my guard down.

A break from the craziness

For desert, we’d share a chocolate lava cake with hot fudge.

Oh those were the days.

I might have been drowning in college worries. How was I ever going to get everything done in time? How was I going to pay for college? Through it all though I came away feeling like that chocolate lava cake could solve anything.

Yes, those lunches and dinners helped keep me fed, but more than anything they fed the soul.

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45 thoughts on “Soulful food!”

  4. I had a trip to the dentist which resulted in a Mom-bonding experience with fast food. I needed to go to a dental surgeon when I was a kid, and had to be put to sleep to do an extraction. Two things I remember about that day to this day. One, after the mask went on, I was told to count down from 100 and I got as far as 98. Two, the large hamburger and giant milk shake I was awarded after the experience!

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  7. I love how food was something that brought comfort and a shared experience…it is funny what we thought of as “special occasions” when for me it was a smorgasbord restaurant where I could choose anything I wanted – and take all I wanted too!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Comfort and shared experience. I think that’s a reason why blogs like yours on food appeal to readers. We all are seeking that. I may not have a love of a certain type of food, but I can relate to someone having a love of it and wanting to share it with others. Thank you!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s fun to think about what we ate growing up for example – the good and the bad – and all of the liver and onions, which were sold to us as healthy, but c’mon the two cheapest things you could buy!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. You know that those McDonald’s fries are evil, right? 😂 Man, they are so good.

    I hear you. Sometimes we do things like eating fries or cake. Maybe it’s just a nice cup of coffee while looking out the window, or a little walk through a park. It’s not the activity but the joy we feel in that moment that fills our emotional tank. Great piece, and well said.

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  10. Weirdly, I was craving a McDonald’s cheeseburger today, too. I even pulled up the menu and thought about placing an order, but then I stepped outside to take out the trash and remembered it was -8°. Sorry, but no french fries are worth venturing out in that weather for.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I write each Wednesday a note to my wife. I still write or call my mom weekly. Those depend on what else is going on. I haven’t shown my mom this story, but I’ll have to now. I’m not sure she’ll remember the McDonalds visits, but I know she remembers the chocolate lava cake deserts. Ha, ha.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Isn’t it amazing – how memories of food and people and moments…are so intertwined. So good, Brian. And I’m with you. Chocolate lava cake to the rescue! 😜💝😜

    Liked by 1 person

  16. These are precious memories, Brian – more than just soul food but soulful moments. 💕 Food is such a love language communicated so well from our parents.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I believe a chocolate lava cake would solve most things! I’ve been craving fast food, too. We don’t have any near us. I love Taco Bell and it was close to us in Palm Springs. Now I’d have to drive 45 minutes for a burrito supreme and it’s not happening!

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  20. Oh for the days when I could eat chocolate lava cake, guilt free! To say nothing for McDonald’s fries, which are the best food they serve. (Not the healthiest, but the most addictive.)

    Liked by 2 people

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