Food, We All Love It!

America has become obsessed with the food from around the world and have take it to the crazy degree that fresh is king – which is great for those monied few who no matter the season can afford. I’m not mocking the craze because we all need good cooking, and veggies to our diets.  Food is the center of every home, and of course we often eat boxed lunches at work.  But it usually isn’t very fresh.  So how can you do both?  Well one way that is quite common along ALL U.S. coastlines – it’s the fabulous food trucks.  If you don’t believe it check out the show Eat Street on the Cooking Network!  But the small towns in the Midwest have somehow lost out on this often chef driven food that is above and beyond in taste.

So why have we missed out on this food phenomenon?  One of the reasons has to be the MANY food laws that are different in both towns, cities, counties, and townships.  Though there are reasons of health food laws are necessary I certainly wish they State could get together on the laws to facilitate the food trucks that populate our nations big cities!  If you think I am a foodie, you’re right.  Good food from all over is a great way of sharing our cultures.

The great thing about food trucks is it expands ANY local food scene and keeps all the area restaurants on their toes.  So why are they seen as a passing fancy?  They have certainly been around for ages as much as fast food has been and have fed people around the world.  if you think of food in the Asian world you see food being sold out of little family restaurants or off carts and bicycle driven trucks.  People KNOW the good ones and always frequent the very best ones.

But one of our biggest communities in West Michigan has a strong history of the food vehicle lunch.  The Hispanic food found here comes from so many cultures within these communities, and I would love to see great food trucks in our business districts as well as downtown in the cities along Michigan’s West Coast.  Is this a cultural need in our area?  Probably not.  I it something that might expand our lives as well as our tourist base?  Oh, YES!

a family gathering

This afternoon we had a family gathering to celebrate Easter. Two of my sons and their families came together for dinner with my husband and myself.  We ate at my eldest son’s home and shared t-bone steaks from the grill with potatoes and hot dogs for the kids. Conversation and laughter made the meal enjoyable and fabulous. Afterward I passed around Easter buckets with goodies, sketch books and treats for the kids and pot holders for my daughter-in-laws.  At Christmas and birthdays everyone gets something, but Easter is mostly for fun and just a time to be together, and I try to focus on something special for my two daughter’s by marriage in our family.

I have three sons who have kept me very busy and happy over the years, but I’ve always wanted daughters and I’m thrilled I got them with the marriage of my two sons.  (I also have three more with my three granddaughters.)

Holidays are special for us and we love to all share the cooking chores. This year Easter was great because we did not have the typical ham but rather a dinner from the grill which was a grew change. The grandkids were enjoying themselves and it made for a great get together. I’m always up for change and this was good and really fun, too. We all relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine and as well as great food.

It’s funny how the prayer before the meal was more personal this year and more intuitive for our family as well.  My eldest daughter-n-law focused on the holiday and where we are as family at the moment. It made for a great start for the meal with thanksgiving for how the holiday was centered around such a sacrifice.

Happy Easter to all!