Food.

Every now and then food and I will get a funny thing going on... it's a great catalyst when it comes to personal interactions.

The first instance I can remember was when I was a sophomore at BYU. I was new in the ward and had a knack for attracting the older guys pursuing masters programs. This led to many awkward situations (Wait... you're barely 19???), but out of all the times, there was one where I found a really great friend who didn't care that I hadn't turned 19 yet. We had a lot of fun cooking together... and his roommates had a lot of fun making fun of him. Nevermind that he screamed like a girl and they caught it on tape, or that I beat him in a pull up competition. We were friends and it was cool. Anyway, the last time we ever spoke he had invited me over before a ward party to make dessert with him. Pumpkin roll. It was so heavenly and delicious. We ended up sharing it with the ward and there was this one girl who was really loving our dessert. Not missing a beat I moved away and my pal seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation. It's what friends do, right?  Even now, knowing I would never get to talk to him again, I would have done the same thing. You see, after he and this girl struck up a conversation, they both fell off the face of the earth and re-appeared several months later eternally married. It was a good dessert.

Fast forward two years. I was dating a guy that for various reasons wasn't quite up to par. After a couple of weeks I sent him packing. Right before his birthday. I had promised him a birthday dinner before I had seen the light, so I asked him if he still wanted to come over. He had cleared his calendar for it after all. SO. I made him fajitas. Fajitas that have been said by tasters to eclipse the goodness of... wonderful things. I'll let you use your imagination to fill in that blank. Anyway, he came over and enjoyed very much his last meal. At the end, he looked over at me and with a sly look on his face said, "You're trying to seduce me with this food, you want me back." If I didn't see it before, I really saw it then. That guy was totally full of himself. And my food. I showed him the door and pretended like I didn't notice he wanted a kiss.

I'm glad I don't have any stories like that last one anymore... life's taken on a more simple and beautiful flavor. Now, it's more centered around teamwork and fun with Dan in the kitchen (he really is amazing in there!), making memories with friends, or enjoying a special treat now and then (think cheesecake with graham and ganache crust and cherry glaze). Like I said, it's a great catalyst.

[RACHEL]