Before putting pen to paper (or, more likely, before clicking the computer keyboard) I was not sure how to begin this entitled “love letter”. I figured this letter would just be a demonstration of my love and admiration for food in general. A letter explaining how eating the right meal can feel like a warm embrace from family, or an encouraging phone call from a loved one just when you need it.  How the perfect bite of food can bring you back to when you felt the safest, the most cared for, back to the days when you felt free to be vulnerable, secure, protected, and just felt pure bliss, just because. However, I realized that this letter had to be much more than that. This letter had to include a genuine story, a P.O.V (point of view) experience with Flavour-o-rama and myself. I realized that this letter had to be an explanation of what this seasoning means to me, and what it has meant to many others. I believe that my story is more than expressing a liking for food on the surface. This story is about the assurance that comes with every savory bite of anything made with this seasoning. The comfort that is created in one’s heart when using this seasoning. How using this seasoning has the healing power of creating the knowing in one’s heart that they are loved, cared for, thought of and special. 

I have had the pleasure of cooking with Flavour-o-rama seasoning, even to this day. It is now an official staple in my kitchen, which accompanies me during breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first dish I made was a simple yet satisfying spaghetti dinner with a red meat sauce. I did not think anything of it at first when I began to make my meal. I just proceeded to do so with my staple ingredients; cooking oil, onions, minced garlic, tomato sauce and my choice of protein. First, I noticed that instead of using the plethora of seasonings and spices that I usually do, I was able to cut down on that exhaustive list by using Flavour-o-rama in their place. Once I began the stir in the seasoning in the sauce, the aroma alone woke up my senses. It was intoxicating and filled the whole house. When family and loved ones would come over and I would cook with this seasoning, I would always get wide eyes and curious noses in my kitchen, interested in what I was making.  My loved ones and I would always cook together and would revel in how unique and special this seasoning is. Whenever I use Flavour-o-Rama, I think of healing, safety, peace, love and home. 

It all began when I was rushed to the emergency room, then transferred to an impatient stay. As I laid helpless in my hospital bed, I felt restricting and uncomfortable. A situation like this can make anyone fell anxious, awaiting the day that they can rest peacefully in their own space on their own mattress. I dreamt of being in my own kitchen, putting my own magic and heart in each meal, while not being restricted to a limited menu. It is unnerving and disorienting to be surrounded by beeping and pump machines, pinching intravenous lines and medical tape, constant interruptions of sleep due to labs that were ordered to be drawn at 2am, the constant use of medical jargon to describe a condition that that I was still trying to wrap their head around to understand.  The last thing that a person in this predicament needs is tasteless food on a plastic platter.

Feeling scared, cold, helpless and weak, it was in those times that the taste of Flavour-o-rama is irreplaceable to.  Just even a little taste of that distinct flavor reminds me that I am cared for. It brings me back to memories of community and togetherness. The thought of having that feeling again and serving those that I care for with a good meal made with heart, helped me through in those long nights, when things felt foreign and unfamiliar. It was one of the many joys in life that I looked forward to, while hoping to be discharged. When I was finally discharged, I thankfully had the support of family, friends and loved ones to help get me through during my healing process. Being able to have a meal with Flavour-o-rama soothed my soul, letting me know that even though things may not be ideal at the moment, I was surely on the road to recovery. 

Yes, this may sound far-fetched to speak about a seasoning to this extent. However, the experience of food is more than a taste in someone’s mouth. It is the emotional and intangible internal experience that you remember, that you are able to hold on to, when unexpected moments in life come in like a flood all at once, causing overwhelm and uncertainty. With this seasoning, I was assured that life is still good, that there was hope for me in the world, and that there are there is still amazing things to enjoy and look forward to. To me, there is nothing that tastes better than that. 

Happy Plate Life!

By: Ms. B., A Happy Plate Life Contributor