We all have these things, that remind of people, places, moments and even of who we are. When I feel really stressed and grumpy, Mark knows that the best remedy is some Cote d'Or chocolate. Besides the fact that it's just simply very good chocolate, it reminds me of carefree summer days in Weidingen. My dad would come back from a short trip to Luxembourg (to get cheaper gas) with several bars of yummy chocolate for us. Sitting in the cool house and then the sweet chocolate in our mouths. mmmh. And yes, thirty odd years later the chocolate will pull me out of my stress and out of my adult life and I just feel comfortable and good.
A lot of my friends here are recent immigrants to Canada - just like me. And we all have things that attach us to where we came from. And we want our children to know about these things and to grow up with them. A friend always has German chocolate for her son's birthday. She also stocks her pantry with typical products. Another friend drives to the other side of town to the Italian supermarket to get what she is looking for. I go to a small store where I find many little comforts: Italian fruit juice in small glass bottles, German butter cookies, creme de marrons (yes, I think of you, Marie!)...
Yesterday I was at a friend's house and we did some sewing and she had a special bottle of ironing spray: Felce Azzurra from Italy. I asked whether she bought this in the Italian supermarket, but she said she brought it from Italy. This very common household item all of a sudden turned into a valuable prized possession: the little liquid left in the bottle a reminder of how long ago last summer's trip to Italy was... The smell, a smell from home. Maybe her mom's house? Maybe her first studio as a university student?
What are your creature comforts? Your bottle of Felce Azzurra?
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