Show Me Your Food!

Remember when you were a kid and you’d do something super awesome at school like draw a great picture or get an A on your book report, and you’d run home to show your family so they’d put it on the fridge? What an amazing feeling that was- the appreciation from them, the pride you’d feel inside to see your work hanging up there for the world (or just your neighbors) to see. I’ve always wondered how my mom actually felt. Did she do it because I was an only child and she wanted to make me feel special? Or was she really that excited for whatever it was that I’d accomplished?

It’s funny because lately, I find myself in the same situation- not the child running home to show off my work, but the proud parent who is quite excited to hang it up and show it off.

Before you ask- no, I am not actually a parent.

I’m talking about when people text or call me to show me what they’ve cooked for themselves. There is something so truly wonderful about someone making something delicious and their first thought isn’t “let me post this somewhere,” it’s “I need to show Taryn!” Honestly, it’s glorious and brings me such an insane amount of joy.

I have one friend who has really upped his breakfast game and he loves to send me pictures of it. And every single time he does, I feel so proud of what he’s creating and I really enjoy telling him so.

It’s obvious to me the love and care he’s putting into feeding his body and every time he sends me a photo of his latest dish, I can literally see the effort he’s put in, whether it’s a change in plating or just a difference in the kinds of ingredients he’s using.

Another good friend of mine has been practicing her cooking skills very intensely lately, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her one-on-one. She likes to pretend that her food “isn’t that great” or whatever, but honestly she’s just wrong. Not to mention, her plating skills are seriously beautiful. After a couple lessons, she started sending me pictures of the lunches she created and would say “oh it’s just something I threw together” as if to diminish the work she had done but I relished the opportunity to truly congratulate her on a job well done.

Okay so it seems small, right? Just telling someone their lunch looks good? But it’s not. Our lives are bananas. We’re all running around like chickens without heads or feet, trying to figure out which way is up. Some days, the only thing we remember to do is feed ourselves, and that deserves a pat on the back. Especially when it’s done with such love and appreciation. We all need words of encouragement, even on the small things.

So, to the general public, I say this: If you’ve made something delicious that you fed to yourself or your friends, and you want a place to show it off, I’m your girl. Send it to me on Instagram (@lookwhattarynate) or leave it in a comment, I don’t care. Few things make me happier than seeing people I know (or don’t know) get excited over food, so really, you’d be doing me a favor!