What Foods Are Meaningful to You?

I’d love to hear it on this cold Wednesday morning. What foods are meaningful to you? Perhaps because of your background, friends, or family? “When words are not enough, food is a symbol of love,” says the philosopher Alan Wolfert, and I agree with him.

First on my list is the candlelit cake (above) that I presented to my boys when they were little, the night before their first day of school every September. I hope they help make nervousness feel like excitement.

My Aunt Lulu is a genius at feeding large groups of relatives, and one of her tips is to always include lots of toast…

…She refills the toast rack four or five times during lunch, so everyone eats bread and butter, salad, soup, and whatever else is on her menu that day.

One of my dad’s very specific love languages ​​is stocking our Brooklyn house with European cereals.

And when I visit my mom in Michigan, she always makes crème brûlée for the boys. There’s nothing more thrilling than this torch Your own dessert.

For my husband’s birthday, my friend Alison ordered a gorgeous jet black shirt. cake Just two words: “You’re getting old.” I still laugh when I think about it.

Of course, my friends and bagels. Bonus points if it’s warm enough to sit outside.

Finally, a few years ago, when I was feeling really overwhelmed, our beloved sitter sent the boys to my bedroom where I worked and delivered hot pasta and fresh fruit for lunch. Reader, I cried.

what about you? What foods are meaningful to you? I would love to hear it…

PS 12 readers share their favorite birthday wishes (cries!) and their very low-key winter checklists.