Of meals, memories, and magic

Lynette McFadden Business Owner & Mentor, Harcourts gold @lynette_mcfadden

I’ve never really understood the concept of ‘food as fuel’ – a mere calorie equation or chemical mix. I know people who feel exactly like this, but for me, food has been an adventure and one which has seen us eat, experience, laugh, cry and – on occasion – choke in numerous places around the globe.

The love of food and its potential to bring family, friends, and communities together has long been appreciated, and there isn’t a country in the world that doesn’t have numerous traditions and rituals wrapped around the preparation and sharing of food.

Here are some of my most memorable and treasured experiences:

A crazy sugar-filled breakfast in Texas, where, while staying with friends, we were invited to his consulting surgeon’s home. Rather than the Kiwi kind of meal I’d expected, we were given two cans of Coke and four pink-iced jelly doughnuts. Given we were eating with medical professionals, I was surprised at the choice, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Trips to Tokyo, where eating sushi artfully curated by elderly master chefs, followed a 4am visit to the fish markets, with delicate porcelain dishes making the emergence of each course a study in presentation.

Or crocodile! Served in the dining coach of the mighty Ghan train as we rattled through the Outback desert in Australia for an unforgettable family trip.

Even holding these memories has become a personal nostalgia as I rarely photograph food to share via social media, preferring to live in the culinary moment and do my best to utilise all my senses as I appreciate what’s in front of me and what’s to come.

Speaking of what’s to come, there are those experiences I yearn for, ones where I know new food memories are sure to be created; experiences I hold dear to my heart. Some of my favourites are:

French food in the south of France, and French bread minutes after purchasing it from the boulangerie.

Italian food anywhere – and with an Italian daughter-in-law who cooks wonderfully, there’s always a treat waiting.

There are also traditional family dishes that we serve every birthday and Christmastime, with recipes passed down from my mum, and as an enthusiastic home cook, I can think of nothing better than sharing a meal with friends. There’s an old Irish saying, “Laughter is brightest in the place where food is best,” and nothing could be truer.