Laowai

I like to have things around me that have meaning. 

Like these happy cups that Bea uses. The white one is from Kool-Aid (there’s a matching pitcher) and the other one is from Cambell’s. They’re recent acquisitions from Gramma C. I like to imagine her collecting UPC codes and sending away for them – it’s so her. And then I picture those little Chapman boys enjoying a cool, cool cup of red Kool-Aid on a hot day. I bet they all had Kool-Aid moustaches. It makes me snicker and I love that Bea is using them everyday now.

Or there’s this dish. It belonged to Brian’s Grandma Y. I didn’t know her very well but I like to think of the few times I got to see her when I serve a nice citrus salad in this dish.

Then there’s this big, heavy pan that’s great for making soup. It’s actually a pressure cooker. I spotted it at Goodwill a few years ago and had to have it because it’s just like the one that my Grandma Dice has. I think of her kitchen and her white stove and picture that pan with something yummy simmering away inside.

Or this mug. It says I hate it when it snows on my french toast on the other side. Dad brought it back from one of his business trips when I was a kid. I remember just a little bit of going to the airport to pick him up. For some reason I’ve really latched onto this mug and I associate it with all the good things about my dad.

And last – there’s this measuring cup. It was my Great Grandma Fosher’s. I think of her kitchen and the huge wood cabinet that took up all of one of the walls. And I think of her aprons and their patterns. And I smile.

I guess I’m just sappy, but these things are a few of the little friends that live in my kitchen cupboards and I’d hate to be without them.