So Much More Than Food

There are some dishes that evoke emotions with smell and taste and memory. My grandma's chocolate chip cookies, tapioca pudding, my moms stew bubbling on the stove and hot, fresh bread out of the oven. So many of the things I loved to eat have more depth than just taste. Now that my diet has changed, I have new comfort foods and have to carefully choose the foods that serve as medicine instead of poison.
One food item that speaks to me of love and caring is Mujadra. This lentil and rice dish smells divine and tastes even better. My friends, Judith and Leon, had made this dish for me many times and it is one of my favorite things.
When they asked what they could bring me to help me recover from surgery, I had to have Mujadra. Even though onions and lentils give me stomach issues. I was really craving the taste and smell and attention of the Mujadra.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of the Mujadra and go to sleep to the sound of my stomach rumbling and heart burn lighting a fire in my throat. It is worth it.