Share some soul food

Some things really do get better with age, and I have to say that an old friendship is my favourite of them all.

There is nothing better than sharing time, or better yet food and drink, with old friends as you catch up and soak in the comfort that comes from being with someone who knows you.

A visit to Vancouver is giving me a chance to catch up with a faraway friend and that made me think of the many times we’ve shared across a table. So, this week I’m hoping that might inspire you to do the same across a dinner table or picnic blanket with a friend of yours.

A very dear girlfriend in Calgary and I do much of our best catching up over steaming cups of homemade latte. She has the best little cappuccino machine in the world and so the deal is, when I visit her, she makes the coffees and I clean the machine.

It was the best way I could think of to thank her for putting me up time and again over the years, and it has become a symbol of our symbiotic relationship.

Sometimes we have bagels or a bowl of cereal with the coffee, but just having my hands around the cup and being able to share a story or two is enough to recharge my soul.

Coffee is a staple of another longstanding family friend. I don’t want to call him an “old friend,” but this guy has known me since I was a kid, and as a result there are plenty of good memories.

When I was a kid, his telephone greeting when I answered was, “So, how’s your sex life?” I was 10 years old; I didn’t even know what a sex life was.

David was one of those adults that always treated me like a regular person, even though he still calls me “kid.”

Ever since then, when I hear David’s voice on the phone, it makes me smile. He is a part of my extended family – the part that extends to those non-blood relations that are as natural as your immediate family.

I am comfortable having last-minute dinner guests because I grew up with people like David, who might just drop by and was only too welcome to stay. A simple dinner like Roast Chicken does the trick nicely.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a dog friend. If you have a dog, you know what I mean.

If you are not a dog person you will just have to trust me when I say that four-legged people can provide a special connection for two-legged ones in a magical way.

Such is the case with John and I, for without his Irish terrier, Riley, wandering across the field one day to say hi to my chocolate Lab, Satchmo, we would never have met and what a shame that would be.

I spent many a morning at Kits Point sharing quality time with a man I recognized more from his yellow slicker and his Irish terrier than for his reputable standing in the community.

Our four-legged friends of those days are only with us in spirit now, but those shared memories will last more than a lifetime.

I would have to say that a good dog biscuit would be the food I think of here… many a treat was left on the running board of my old 4Runner that had a special place in Mo’s heart as well as her tummy.

But I have also raised many a glass of good red wine in honour of such a friendship. Cheers to you, John, and to the memories of all those mornings on the Point.

Food is what brought my hubby and I together, and it is something you know from us is certainly a passion in our lives. What fuels that passion is being able to share it with loved ones.

I hope you have the chance to catch up with an old friend or two sometime soon; the ambience of having those around you who love you with all your foibles is the best recipe for comfort food that I know.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.