comfort

i look at my shelf of dishes and my heart stands with the humble bowl. it is simple. it is honest. it holds my favorite foods.

plates are complicated. they have geography. where does each food go? which food do i eat first? and the biggie - are the foods allowed to touch? with a bowl, there is no such pretense. the food goes in the bowl. of course it touches. i eat until i have to tilt my bowl to get the last drop. (try that with a plate.)

mugs are wonderful. they are bowls that have sprouted handles. but they accumulate. we have a shelf of mismatched mugs. i am not smart enough to have decided on "my" mug, so i ponder every morning which mug i will use. with bowls, i don't have to make that decision. i take the first bowl off the stack. simple.

i am not forgetting the most important thing about a bowl. the food it holds. winter soups (we had potato leek tonight), morning oatmeal, late night ice cream, to name a few. for years these foods have brought me comfort, nursed me to health, dried the tears. simple foods. served in a simple bowl. "food is love" i say. it doesn't get any better than this.

note: i would not be blipping this if it weren't for my son. he is a staunch believer in the bowl. no matter what is served, a bowl is set at his place. the universal bowl. it works for him. and it's starting to work for me.