Friday 13 September 2013

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him … the people who give you their food give you their heart.” ~ Cesar Chavez

ShortStack and Sarina ... circa Grade Six
And if those friends aren't EXACTLY in your area code, well, perhaps a miraculous Vegan-Food-Swap-Angel can help bring two long-lost friends together.  The story is this, dear readers ...

In a land fah-fah-away, there were two young girls ... I should clarify, the land was not the North Pole, despite the photo to the left ... I digress ...

Sarina and I met in Grade Four - we became instant friends and spent many an afternoon giggling, drawing (she was MUCH better than me ... like ... I thought she would become a world famous artist - move over Van Gogh, here comes Sarina!), playing in the pool and if we'd done all our homework her Mom would sometimes let us play on their computer.  That was MEGA exciting 'cause they had COMPUTER GAMES ... think 'black screen with rudimentary white characters that shot out single bullets' ... we're talking PRE-Tetris-awesome'ness ...

As time passed, as it has a habit of doing, we drifted apart.  By mid-Junior high, we didn't really see much of each other ... we went our separate ways ... and after high school we lost touch entirely.

Until ... a few weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sarina contacted me after reading one of my posts about the Vegan Food Swap.  After some generally hilarious backing and forthing on emails, we were teamed up for the August food swap.  And after discovering we lived fairly close to one another ... we decided ... to meet. <duhn-duhn-duhnnnnn>

I was nervous.  Isn't that absolutely ridiculous?  Like, didn't sleep well the night before, knot-in-stomach nervous.  What if I giggled too much (as I tend to do in high pressure situations or at funerals - yup, total nightmare), what if her husband didn't like me, what if her kids kick me and stick their tongues out at me?!?!?  I was a wreck. 

As I sat in the parking lot, trying to look calm, cool and collected I get a text that she's "gonna be there in one minute" - I SPRANG from my vehicle and heard ... a giggle ... we embraced, agreed that neither one of us had changed and dashed into the restaurant ... where we talked ... and talked ... and talked.  About what we'd been up to.  Old friends and what they were doing.  Our families ... food (obviously).  And then we dove into our food-swap treats with reckless abandon.  Hours had passed.  And we had started to become permanent fixtures in the restaurant.  One waiter tried to dust-me until he realized that I was not a piece of furniture ...

Agreeing not to lose touch again, we hugged again ... and then went our separate ways.

Seventeen years ... it had been THAT long ... and as our lunch came to an end, I almost felt as though the school bell should ring, signalling to 'us kids' that we had to go back inside to French class. Nostalgia overwhelmed me.  The world really is a small place.  And I truly believe you are destined to meet only a handful of people in a lifetime - at different times, and for different reasons ...

 

She baked for me - *swoon*
Roasted chickpeas destined for mid-day nibbles at my desk!


As a mustard-nerd, this was terribly exciting to receive!!!
Although (vegans cover your ears) I may have to slather it over some fish ...
I'm going to spend the entire time I'm eating this running around my kitchen
pretending that I am on an episode of Iron Chef ... the carrot and ginger snack below
was a SAVIOUR on our Weekend to End Women's Cancer walk this past weekend.
I bought a tonne of these after Sarina introduced me to them - kept us fuelled up for walking
without having to rely on granola bars that were laced with sugar.  The Cacao nibs are a
fav. of mine - when added to green-dessert-smoothies ... *double swoon*
 

So for all those long-lost friends out there - while we may have temporarily parted ways, I'm sure I've got a funny picture of us together somewhere.  From the ShortStack Foodie archives, here's another one of Sarina and I ... happy nostalgia everyone.  Until we meet again ...


 

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for the heartfelt write-up! I had a wonderful time too. And I forgot about playing 1980's computer games, it's all coming back to me! We'll have to get together again soon for more food and nostalgia! xox Sarina

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    Replies
    1. There was also a game where you had to 'survive' as though you were a pioneer ... LOL Ah the memories :)

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