pizza, burger, mom

I'm always overwhelmed with my mom's unconditional love. I just don't get how moms develop that much selflessness when it comes to their children. I like to think that I'm a pretty nice, caring person, but I just don't think I'll ever understand the level of niceness moms are on. Like when I was a kid--I could never finish a whole McDonald's hamburger, but my mom would still take me there and waste her money on half-eaten meals every time I asked. Then when I finished a whole burger for the first time, she was actually proud of me. This would be a good time to note that I am an only child. Small victories, I guess.

 

Roberta's: cheeseburger on a house-made bun and fingerling potatoes

 

best burger ever

She used to pick me up from school every day with a lunch packed so I could eat before going to the piano lessons that I begged for, but eventually abandoned ten years later because the only thing I had really learned was how to play "chopsticks." Also, it wasn't just a PB&J type lunch, it was serious multi-layered lunch box filled with Korean food--fried rice, rice cakes, noodles--plus a million side dishes that I liked. And obviously, I only ate the kind of side dishes that took a lot of time to make. Even after all that, I would ask for a calzone at Pizza Hut, and she would take me to get one. I'd make her order it because I was way too chicken to order my own food until I was about 13.  I was so so spoiled, and I think that must partially be why I love food so much. 

 

Speedy Romeo: "The White Album"

 

a pocket of ricotta

pickled peppers to tame the dairy-ness of the white pie

I used to be really really tiny and in desperate need of fattening, so my mom let me eat whatever I want. And since I would get hungry every two hours like a bird, she would make me anything I wanted to eat at any hour of the day--like tuna fish sandwiches and cheetos at 6 am. This is probably the least sentimental, least beautiful way to describe how much I appreciate the love my mom has shown me, but it's what sticks with me the most. Even now, whenever I come home, my mom treats me the same way.  I've definitely woken her up to say that I wanted instant ramen, and she's made it for me with a side of kimchi and an egg plopped into the broth. Even after reaching the pinnacle of laziness--asking your sleeping mother to wake up and rehydrate noodles for you--I know my mom still loves me enough to do that a million times over if I asked. So when it comes to food, I approach it in the only way that I know how--with lots and lots of love and a stupidly, endless appetite.

So what I'm trying to say...all this food I ate, it was all for you, Mom!! Happy Mother's Day!

Just joking. That would be the worst gift ever.