Stop and smell...your food.

Smell. What smells take you back? Think about it, what smells take you back to your youth? Your first love. I smell Nivea moisturizer and I think of my mom. I smell Polo by Ralph Lauren and I instantly think of my first boyfriend. I smell fresh bread, smoked meats and I think of my childhood. Weird right? Let me explain.
I'm 100% Polish and what that pretty much translates to is that I'm 100% rarely hungry. Our culture is centered around God and food. Tradition is praying and eating. So growing up I spent a lot of my time in the kitchen and in Polish delis purchasing food to bring to the kitchen.

This past weekend I made a stop at a local deli with my parents. (Note the obligatory pierogi poster) The minute we stepped in the back door we were welcomed by the soft, velvety, aroma of fresh baked rolls. Hello! One of the best smells in the world! I stopped and took a big whiff... I moved and took in all the meats and cheeses on stock and was hit with that spicy, smoky almost greasy smell of fresh kielbasa....

This right here, classic Polish deli. A bolt of kielbasi on display like a proud athlete showcasing their trophies. (I'm sure you're also noting all the different cake and torte selections) These 2 smells combined, fresh baked bread and kielbasa take me back to being 9 years old. After a morning of Polish folk dancing and language classes all 3 of us kids would pile into the car and head over to the deli to pick up rolls, meats, cheeses, candy and whatever Mama needed. This past Friday while we were standing there waiting to be check out I asked my mom to take in a breath and tell me what the smell makes her think of. Here's her answer. "It takes me back to when I was 10 years old before Easter. Standing in a line to get into the store to get what the family needed. When we finally got inside it was...'killer'. So beautiful and it smelled so fresh. Smoked meats, kielbasi, hams, fresh bread. That was the Easter feeling for us." My dad added "It was Mloda Lata" Or "The Good Old Days".

The price chart. I love the little "Poland rules" in the bottom corner. So this particular visit we picked up different hams, some cheese, fresh baked Polish rye and other little goodies. The end result:

Lunch! Lightly buttered Polish rye, 2 different smoked meats and a light swiss. We added fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden, Polish dill pickle and a pinch of green onion. Smacznego!

xoxo,
Lo
We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are. —-Adelle Davis