Raising Gourmet

It's funny that I always wonder where my son CJ got his gourmet tastes and cooking skills from when the answer has been in front of me all along.  My son reminded me the other day that when he and I spent quality time together when he was little, we would go to BevMo and Trader Joe's to buy gourmet foods.  We also ate at nice restaurants, not the commercial chain restaurants.  I taught him how to cook some dishes.  This probably helped to liven up his tastebuds.

CJ and I spent a lot of time together, and that's why he and I are so close.  We have a very good relationship.  I admit that I spoiled him and still do because he is my only son.  I am thankful that he isn't in jail and/or doing drugs.  In addition to being foodies, we spent time going to the movies, seeing shows, traveling.  I taught him about visiting other cities, states, countries and learning by getting lost and reading maps and finding our way back.  I've sent him on trips without me to discover and become more worldly.  We appreciated the finer things in life, even knowing at the same time that we didn't always have money to buy them.  That's what made us appreciate things even more.

The time we spent together was around the end of my marriage through post divorce and until he moved and lived out in the world on his own.  Now he's living life with the same type of trials and tribulations that's part of mainstream.  He's had relationships that have pained him I'm sure.  I always hope and pray that he will find his soul mate soon and move onto the next phase of his life.

What hasn't changed is his love for food -- especially gourmet food.  CJ has become a much better cook than I.  He will ask once in awhile about how to make things, which he picks up on quickly and alters to infuse his own style and interpretation.  I admit it -- I've raised CJ to be just like me.  Instead of fast food, we would rather cook our meals and taste every morsel.  Or we would rather have a plate full of grapes, cheese, prosciutto and crackers while drinking that down with a fine glass of wine.