“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
There is something that I have learned in my short 27years of life and that is the unexpected is usually more fun, and if not more fun, definitely memorable which is then special. Over the last few years I have been a bit more daring trying to create distinct memories, like the time I ate ox testicles in Kenya. I didn't do it because I really wanted to eat testicles. I tried it for the sake of a shared experience with my friends, one that no one else can share. At the time I wasn't sure if it was worth it purely for the sake of an experience but now I will never forget the time I ate ox balls in Nairobi.
About a month ago, my workplace asked if anyone was willing to host some visitors at their homes for dinner. Since I am quite new, I was guaranteed to not know anyone. Despite that fact, I agreed. Why not? It's one night of cooking a little extra food, barrow my sister's hostess hat and meet some (hopefully) cool new people. Regardless, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew were their names and where they lived.
In addition to creating cool memories, I also saw it as a chance to give back. I have traveled in many different countries and the hospitality I received made all the difference on many occasions changing my opinion of a certain culture or time in space. I have been fed anything from rice and beans, fish heads, a glass full of pure honey and other unrecognizable substances.
After two weeks of agonizing on what to serve, I finally pulled it together and made it happen. Now with food allergies, preferences and cultural taste buds in the mix, making a meal isn't an easy feat despite how glamorous my sister makes it look. I suppose there is beauty in inviting someone over unexpectedly, you don't have time to worry about all of those silly things.
The day finally arrived and we met. They were a bit older than I was expecting, but nonetheless kind and interesting. They had some pretty cool stories and life experiences. We shared an evening together and if I hadn't agreed, would have missed out. My memory of that evening would have been jumbled together with the others just like it spent on the sofa watching a movie. Perhaps it is a bit selfish of me using other people to make my life more memorable but they were sincerely grateful and adamantly said so.
Now I have this memory of that one evening we hosted two strangers in our home. We laughed. We talked. We ate. I stressed out about what to cook. We shared and now hopefully both of our lives are richer for it.
Despite all of that, it proved to me once again that life is meant for memory making, if only every day was filled with a memorable moment we could carry in our bank for ever. I need to be careful though, Gab is going to get ahold of this blog post and remind me I need to make memories by doing something not within my semi-comfort zone such as feeding strangers but rather something like climbing a tree in underwear or watching Si-Fi in animal suits while eating cheese naan (which I have already done).
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