labuznik

My heritage is English on my Mother’s side and Czechoslovakian on my Dad’s side.  I can think of no better reason to name my blog Labuznik (la-booge-nik), which is Czech for gourmand or the lover of good food.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized how important a sit down dinner is to me.  When I was growing up, we ate dinner as a family, at the table, often with classical music in the background, and no TV.  My mother was a great cook and while dinner wasn’t always what I wanted (no mac & cheese) we always had a balanced, well-cooked and tasty meal.  We all sat together at the table and shared the experience of a family meal.  It wasn’t long before I realized that my mother’s love was in her cooking.  Little do people know (unless you are a cook) that it’s truly a labor of love to cook for someone, let alone an entire family.

It starts with a desire to eat, then a notion to share, followed by the desire to communicate love, through food.  There is always the longing to succeed in your venture.  You hope those you are cooking for, like what you make and it turns out properly.

We come together over food and drink.  Friends and family gather to share a meal and it becomes something wonderful.  It’s an experience unmatched in the sense of community, warmth, love, kindness, understanding, compassion, and unity.  Great things can happen over a meal shared together.

Check out this post by James Beard award winning Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas!

http://tomdouglas.com/blog/2011/12/remembering-labuznik-by-tom-douglas/