Contour Lines | 002
Kizuna Sketches Project 002
Contour Lines is an evolution of an experiment in consistent and raw writing for ones self by the amazing Grace Nikae. When she started the experiment she asked if any other members of the Kizuna Studio wanted to join in. You can read more about how I and why I started Contour Lines here.
Last Wednesday was my father's 72nd birthday [July 10th].
He died exactly 2 months before his 70th.
I'm just beginning to process the full meaning of what his passing means to me. Of what his life means to me.
One of the more interesting things is the forgotten happy memories that have risen to the surface, where before it was a sea of angry and resentful ones.
A great many of these happy memories come from before I was old enough to see the hardships of life adults face and then blame myself for them.
Many of them surround food.
And that is today's sketch.
"We aren't buying it again, it has beef tallow in it!”
My 5 year old heart was crushed on the brick floored kitchen of my childhood home. No more golden curry.
The family had turned vegetarian when I was two, and they were still working out the kinks of living that lifestyle in the mid-90s Ohio town we lived in.
Turns out, the curry base for one of our favorite dishes had animal products in it for flavoring.
For many years, every week we'd have "Katsu" curry, a fried piece of tofu or soy in lieu of the pork. I'd play with my cars and action figures on the brick floor, or down the wooden hallway where the scent of frying onions in sesame oil would lure me to the table.
Dad always had his with an exorbitant amount of fujinzuke pickle, and I took after him. Every delicious bite on my kero kero keroppi spoon had rice, curry sauce, veggie and pickle. The crunchy bite melded with the sauce, and I always liked the carrots more than the celery.
And then we stopped having it. As if the flavors tied my family together, I subsequently don't remember much of my childhood in Ohio apart from curry nights and a few sparse events.
Several years ago, I was at my local international grocery store, and to my delight, I saw the box from my childhood. I had to chuckle as I saw the ingredients and saw that S&B's Golden Curry Mix didn't have any beef tallow in it. I cleared the shelf out.
There has been a box in my pantry ever since, we have it every few weeks (with pork),
And on my father's 72nd birthday, my son helped me make curry for the family. To be fair at 18 months old, he mainly supervised.
Onions frying in sesame oil wafted from our kitchen to our living room. Then we added everything to the simmer. After it was done, we heaped it onto the plates.
But my son and his Grandfather got their own special, little plates. I didn't have any fukinzuke to add, only gari (sorry Dad).
Curry happens to be my son's favorite meal, right next to yogurt, and green beans (separately).
And he particularly likes the carrots coated in curry.
Thank you for letting me share this food memory with you! It's super easy to make, I just follow the instructions on the box. I've made katsu/golden curry from scratch before and while good, it just doesn't hit the same.
-Chris