49/365 - Friends

I don't include myself in the category of people who buy soy sauce in gallon-size quantities. For my friend who was born and raised in Hawaii and whose step-mom is Asian, however, soy sauce is a necessary ingredient to be kept in bulk quantities in the kitchen pantry at all times. Mix it with some sugar, whole garlic cloves and scallions, and you've got yourself a yummy concoction that transforms panko-breaded, pan-friend chicken and tofu into scrumptious sweet and sour goodness.

Even more gratifying than the meal so generously provided tonight by C and her daughter was the much appreciated time shared between friends. I am so grateful for the few people in my life with whom connection need not be measured by time spent together or topics of conversation covered. It's rare to develop friendships that extend beyond careers, family, playdates, social circles, and, in some ways even, community itself. But when you do, you realize you don't even need to define your friendship by a category at all. You just end up being who you are and you know your friend is too. That's what it's like with C, my loyal and true friend, who feeds more than my hungry kids and adds more seasoning to my life than a whole pantry full of Kikkoman.