Sunday 14 October 2007

Just soupy


My mother makes a huge pot of soup every Saturday. My sister drops by around lunchtime and we three eat and hang out until she leaves a few hours later. Around dusk, my mother goes over to my brother's to drop off a smaller pot of the soup for him and family. Yesterday she asked me to go with her because she doesn't like driving alone at night, and it's getting dark much earlier now. I agreed, but told her I would not get out of the car because I wanted to come right back home. That was on account of a slight headache, a book I wanted to finish reading, and my usual hermit-like tendencies.

So off we went, and my brother came to the gate for his pot.

"Who's that in the car?" I hear him asking my mom.

"It's your sister."

"Tell her to come in. We just put some stuff on the grill."

"I'm coming," I shout, almost before the word "grill" is out of his mouth.

Like most impromptu gatherings, it turned out to be great fun. My mother and I left long after midnight, stuffed to the gills with chicken, fish, chips, and the contents of a bottle of Riccadonna Asti Spumante (just a sip for my mother who, apart from having to drive, cannot hold her liquor). We also left with that relaxed, mellow feeling that comes from the sharing of food, drink, talk and laughter with people we love and trust.

So much for my resolve to not get out of the car.

7 comments:

Lane Mathias said...

As a fellow hermit, that sounds like my kind of evening (especially the food!)

Anonymous said...

Impromptu gatherings are the best because people don't have time to plan being someone else.

Liane Spicer said...

Lane, I'm not an alcoholic or anything, but don't forget the drink... :)

aka_lol, that's profound. But that's your specialty, no?

Pacha said...

Ah! This is the stuff life is made up of! It sounds like a lovely Sunday...*sigh* I want to play! (Actually I had a lovely Sunday PLANNED but then was bedridden with flu and fever so rather boring Sunday in the end although it was impromptu illness!)

Isn't amazing the way food can bond and unify and help be merry?

I'm hungry!

Matt said...

How awesome is that? Between her garden and her soup, your mom sounds amazing.

The Anti-Wife said...

Yum. That looks delicious! What a lovely sounding evening and how wonderful that you were open to it.

Graeme K Talboys said...

Love that. Relaxed chatter over slow food.