Mmm. Fried Pork Chops.

We give you this public service announcement, that as much as this blog is about writing, literary life, boys, girls, undecideds, and pop culture... I can get sidetracked.

You know I love food? Yeah. I do. I can eat all the time, if not careful. I'm always asking people about what they're having for lunch, dinner, what they cooked this weekend, etc... Kinda like my mother, who is a caterer and party planner. And you should hear the way I describe my favorite meals when talking to friends. Mmmmm.... And those of you who know me, know that I'm a big gym-goer. Lots of cardio, some weights. I'm not the biggest fan of the gym or working out. Actually I don't like it at all. But... my love of food equals my hate of the gym, and one habit has to support the other, or else... You know!

Anyway, was just talking with a friend about our lunch plans (go figure, food again!) and I reminisced about my dinner last night. A childhood favorite. Fried pork chops. Along with dressing, greens, and macaroni & cheese. The only thing missing was the fried/candied apples. Ate at M&Ms Soul Food at the Hollywood and Highland Mall. Yum!

So... my point, and there is one. A literary point. One of the exercises I facilitated at this weekend's writer's workshop was asking the participants to write about a meal they had on special occasions while growing up. What was the occasion? How did it taste? What emotions that meal triggered back then or now? What made the meal special? Was it planned? Or a surprise meal? A family tradition? For how long?

While fried pork chops may not be significant to many folks, it was one of those good meal days for my family... chock full of memories. Memories, whether it's our own, or our characters', are important factors to explore in fiction.

Now... back to your regular reading! :-) fs