it’s that seashell soup time of year.

I have a memory

from when I was very young

of my mom making me what she called ‘seashell soup’

when I had a cold, or it was cold outside

 it’s comfort and warmth

were a balm and a cure

when I grew up

i wanted her secret recipe

for this magic elixir

turns out it was:

shell shaped pasta, butter, and a little bit of broth

all this time

i thought it had special secret exotic ingredients

but it did somehow work their magic

i think the secret ingredient was

i felt the caring of someone who made a special soup for me.

and this is one magic trick i can perform.

—

“but perhaps the most precious heirlooms are family recipes.

like a physical heirloom, they remind us from whom and where we came and give others, in a bite,

the story of another people from another place and another time.”

-stanley tucci