Sohn Mat - "The Taste of the Hands"

I have tried many times to re-create foods that a loving family member or friend once made. Using a recipe, one given to me by MaMa Cille or Virginia Johnson in detail, but it did not taste the same.   I have followed recipes to the letter, to be disappointed. No matter how I tried, the food, whether it was Beef Stew or Field Peas or Snow Cookies, did not taste the same as when they made it with their hands.



I know that people transfer a essence of themselves into the food. Whether it was the way they rinsed the bowl first, or perhaps chilled the cooked beef overnight before making a stew, there are minute details and the essence of the person, that change taste.

Recently talking to lovely friends about things of beauty, we discussed how a person transfers their essence into art, food, decor. It turns out there is a Korean word pronounced, "Sohn Mat" that describes the taste of something unique because it reminds you of the maker. It literally translates to "the taste of the hands".

When we cook for people we love, we put part of ourselves in the food. I know there is much we cannot explain scientifically. People transfer their essence into food.
"The Taste of the Hands".





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