Unity

No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers. ~ Laurie Colwin

Unity
Humans learned the value of unity early on. It kept us safe from predators, helped us find and grow food, and learn from each other. Yet even today in the modern world, we still need unity. There have been studies done in which babies deprived of attention have not matured physically or mentally as fast as their counterparts with strong nurturing family units. Even as adults a strong support system or united front helps us cope with loss, celebrate benchmarks, or just get through the day. 

Some of the most unifying dishes are those that our families have passed down through generations. We may not have known our great grandmothers, but we know what her food tasted like. Or more basically, food unifies a group of people. After traveling abroad and eating exotic food for an extended period of time, there's nothing like a juicy hamburger. And when I was sick as a child, my grandma's mashed potatoes ans gravy hit the spot. 

These days the unity meal at our house is made by my husband. His family came from Italy between the World Wars with his father being the only child born stateside. They were very proud Americans with all five boys fighting in WWII. But they kept their ties to each other and the homeland with special meatballs from their hometown in Italy. Though my husband has three siblings and they can't always get together for the holidays, no matter where they are the meatballs are part of Christmas Eve dinner.

Foods of Interest
Among Pacific Islanders coconuts are believed to increase diversity and open people up to positive influences ie bringing groups together. Both green vegetable (especially green peas) and lychee are Chinese symbols of unity and family ties. While sticky rice--a special rice which can be rolled into balls and eaten with the hands is also a symbol of unity. Lemon verbena and sage are also known for their unity properties. For added effect add some white roses to a special meal to amplify unity.

Recipe

Mike's Meatballs photo by Erika Celeste

Mike’s Meatballs

2 lbs ground pork

1 T minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

4 T finely diced onion

1 T Italian seasoning (preferably Graziano’s Brothers from Des Moines, Iowa)
1 T finely chopped sage
1 T finely chopped rose petals (make sure they're free of pesticides organic is best)

1 C fresh bread crumbs from day old Vienna bread

1 tube of Ritz crackers (to be more unifying try substituting rice crackers)

2 eggs lightly beaten

½ C marinara sauce

Mix all ingredients except meat together. When they are all combined add meat last for more tender meatballs. Form into small meatballs (size of quarters) for Pasta Achiena or large half dollar size for spaghetti and meatballs. Fry meatballs in olive oil in batches until lightly browned. Turn to cook evenly. Drain on paper towels or wire wrack.