Note: Lisa Johnson, attorney, WBUR volunteer, and the blogger behind Anali’s First Amendment, participated in the station’s first “eat-up.” Here she shares some thoughts on food, radio, and 90.9.
Food isn’t just about the food. It’s the context of eating. Whether it’s a cup of coffee, some bread and butter, or a six-course meal. Our defenses our down. We’re open and our senses are working overtime. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. If you want someone to remember, feed them. You’ll create a memory. And if you believe in the sixth sense, well that’s probably fired up too.
The word “companion” is derived from Latin and means someone that you share bread with. There’s something about the act of sitting down and eating together that brings people together on a more intimate level. Remember when Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House, and President Bush tried to make nice by inviting her to lunch?
My mom is one of eleven children and I have a ton of cousins. All my aunts and uncles are amazing cooks as well, but when we get together, the conversation often turns to memories of my mother’s meals. I always thought everyone had chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Didn’t everyone’s mother keep yeast and flour to bake loaves of bread and rolls? She’d tell my brother and me to be quiet or the cake would fall if we made too much noise. I was always aware of the miracle of baked goods rising in the quiet of the kitchen, while I silently sneaked a spoonful of frosting. Looking back at my childhood, how could I have not ended up food blogging? I believe in homemade cooking. There is nothing like it.
Local radio was always part of my childhood as well. My brother and I were children in the early seventies, and I remember us sitting on the floor of the backseat of my father’s car playing a game called “black community.” We really didn’t understand what it meant, but we knew that the radio programs that our parents listened to were always talking about the black community. So, we would pretend to interview each other. Our interviews certainly didn’t have much depth, but we knew that radio somehow brought local community together.
As much as the world has become smaller and we can communicate with someone on the other side of the planet with a simple tweet, we have to remember who is next door, down the street, or just a few towns over. Using social media, whether it be blogging, “tweeting,” “Flickring,” or “Facebooking,” I’ve connected with people right here in the Boston area, who I probably would have never met otherwise.
Seeing WBUR take the leap from local radio station broadcasting to listeners to actively engaging with and meeting listeners has been unexpected and fun. I’ve enjoyed volunteering with the fundraising efforts of WBUR, but there was a new element added at the food blogger meet-up and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Thank you for the opportunity to write this Ken! I really appreciate it. ; )
Great post, Anali! Whenever I think of good times being with family and friends, food is always a big part of it.
[...] Food & Social Media 2009 March 18 by Lisa My Guest Post is up on 90.9 WBUR’s blog, The Converstation. Please check out thoughts here. [...]
Hmmm. Good food equals world peace. Thanks for sharing that “food for thought”. – Joyce
Great points you have made here, Lisa! A good meal should be a prerequisite to any serious discussions, whether they are between local or international communities.
Lisa,
Love the food thoughts and the textures you always put into your writing. I look forward to more contributions to the NPR site from you.
Food bonds people and soothes your soul. Great article Anali!
Lisa,
I love the line: “If you want someone to remember, feed them.” Beautiful and so true! Thanks for sharing these memories.
J
style & inspiration – Thank you! You got it right! Food, family, and friends.
joyce – That reminds me that I didn’t mention the World Peace Cookies!
warren – I agree. Many an important discussion happens over a good meal.
falise – I appreciate your feedback and do hope I can write more here!
asha – I like the way you put that – “food bonds people.” So very true!
jen – I’m so glad you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane.
Nicely done. Food is vitally important in any Irish household, and to offer someone something to eat, when they are at your house, is imperative. And, to accept someone’s food, but then do them a subsequent wrong? The worst sin imaginable.
Anali:
Listeners like you indeed.
Thank you for gracing us with your insights and sharing how much food, family and radio has meant to you.
We are indeed fortunate to have listeners like you.
Thank you for joining us at the “eat-up,” for volunteering at the station and of course for listening.
Keep blogging!
suldog – Thank you! There is something that seems just plain wrong about eating with someone, accepting their sustenance and kindness, then turning on them.
That’s why we should try to eat as many meals with as many people as possible! ; )
ken – Thank you so much again!
You’ve given much to think about. A pleasurable read.
cynthia – Thank you! ; )
Great post, Lisa! My grandmother always told us to be quiet when she was baking, so her cake wouldn’t fall — thanks for that memory!
cheryl – Thank you! It’s funny thinking about it now. I think we were totally duped into being quiet. ; )
Looking for the perfect baby name? ,
Lately, he’s had no shame in comparing the Obama Administration and the Democratically-controlled Congress to the Third Reich. ,
I did to my next interviewer. ,
Lisa–I really enjoyed reading this and I couldn’t agree with you more about remembering to connect with the people in our communities in addition to the lovely friends we meet online. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!