So did everyone eat their black-eyed peas and collard greens with ham and cornbread yesterday? That’s a huge southern tradition. “Eat poor on New Years, eat fat the rest of the year.”

I haven’t made that meal myself, but my mother makes it every year, without fail. She called me yesterday and admonished me (as she does every year) but I told her I was making my own traditions–which included me not cooking.

Food has always been a source of comfort for me, which is why I have always turned to it in times of emotional turmoil. Eating good food makes me feel better. Period. Now I’m trying to replace that with seventeen-million hours of exercise a week. Sure, I feel good, but damn if I don’t just want to fall into a big batch of biscuits and gravy.

Some of my favorite comfort foods growing up were (and still are)

• biscuits and gravy
• fried apple pie (my Mema lived with us for 9 years, this was our after school snack almost every day. It was a seriously good thing I was an athlete)
• smothered steak
• salmon patties
• mashed potatoes
• fried fish, hush puppies and french fries

Every food listed is accompanied with a great memory. And it is still so tempting to fry a mess of fish, etc when I’m feeling low. Because I was never happier as a kid, than the 2 weeks out of the summer I was at the lake with my daddy: camping, fishing, reading, swimming and flirting with all the boys. I was almost always the only girl there. It was awesome. Also, it was the only time I had my daddy’s undivided attention, which was also awesome.

My favorite memory associated with smothered steak has to do with venison. I hate venison. Have never liked it. And everyone always says it’s because the person who fixed it for me didn’t prepare it right. All that means is that obviously nobody can fix it cuz I still don’t like it. Well, my Mema decided I would like it if I didn’t know it was venison. So she made me smothered venison steak and didn’t tell me. I came home after a basketball game, starving to death. She had my plate already fixed and I sat down to eat it. I nearly threw it up on the spot. It tasted awful but I didn’t know why. Now, I didn’t wanna hurt my Mema’s feelings so when she left the kitchen, I dumped it all into the trash. She came back in and was as giddy as a school girl. She confessed her deed to me with a giggle and claimed victory! I sighed a huge relief and said, “Mema, I just didn’t wanna hurt your feelings. It was the worst thing I ever ate.” Then I pulled out the trash can and showed her. I had finally convinced someone that I did not, nor would I ever, like venison.

What are some of your favorite comfort foods and why? Are they associated with a specific memory?

The Universe has been on fire lately. I’m totally digging the dude right now.

Melissa, today, be the person of your dreams.

See life through THEIR eyes.

Make decisions with THEIR mind.

Let every thought, word, and action come from THEIR perspective, as if you had already arrived, and just watch how 2009 warps into the kind of year you talk and laugh about forever and ever and ever…

Peace, love, and green M&Ms –
The Universe

He even knows I love green M&Ms!