#TrueFriendship and #Exotic #Food

By Emana Kopycki #TheSpunkyAdventuress

You know you are blessed when at the darkest time of your life, say the passing of both parents, a couple of your friends take time out of their busy lives to help you navigate through it all, and steer away from depression. Now imagine you had to go through such dark emotions at a time when unforeseen circumstances force you to stay away from your own family for a couple of years.

And it’s not like both my friends were not going through their own rough times and trying to navigate through dark emotions themselves; One of them was barely recovering from an accident that caused concussion, and the other was helping her family survive living on a budget in a new city where she didn’t know anyone yet. They were both juggling many things at the same time just to stay sane. That’s many people I bet, who go through life’s rough patches and strive to maintain their balance.

Women are known to be each others’ best support system. Both my friends, were my support system, and in return, I found myself their support system whenever they needed me.

It took all three of us two years to get out of the rut we were in, and it took years before we finally saw hope of better times to come.

Comfort food is called that because it provides memories of a happier and more simple life void of responsibilities and enxiety.

Exotic food, however, is called that because it may require undertaking a risk on behalf of our taste buds and venturing into unknown gastronomic experiences that may prove to be heaven or hell! Granted that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but generally speaking when people go through unexpected and un-welcomed life events, some change their hair color, some over eat, some chop off their hair completely, and some take to risk and adventure, all in an attempt to alter whatever dark mood life had cast over their daily lives.

#Pho

According to Wikipedia, #Pho is a #Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, a few herbs, #meat, and in my case the icing on the #Pho cake would be pea-nuts. It was in a big bowl of delicious, nutty, and crunchy #Pho that I drowned my sorrows and bonded with my friend C in the cold snowy winters of #Pennsylvania. Non of us are Vietnamese, but if we were, #Pho would definitely count as our comfort food.

#Oysters on the other hand, were an actual food of comfort for my friend J, who used to chuck them and eat them as a child growing up on the west coast of Canada. I did not grow up anywhere remotely close to oysters! As a matter of fact the first time I tasted them was a few years back in #Washington D.C. at the recommendation of a dear friend of mine who noticed that I liked to try new and exotic foods.

Three hours into our two dozen #Oysters, my friend J, and I, after sharing our recent tragic events, were soon celebrating a blue print we put together to cast a new direction towards hope into our lives.

Fast forward to today, the lives of all three of us are back on track to where we strive to be; a place of self actualization and fulfillment.

Each one of us in her own way and in her own world, and against the challenges that some of which are still lingering, we managed to get ourselves to where we wanted, and to actually enjoy it.

The men in our lives play an important role in our well being. The one man in my life, my soulmate, is still my rock, where I can always catch my breath away from the challenges of life. As I write those words, I am thinking of a dear friend who lost her soul-mate early on and had to endure life without him. My heart goes out to all those who lost their soulmate and are still persevering.

 

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