Introduction

Hey there!  Welcome to Needtoeat, my blog about everything that has to do with food.  I’m not going to lie, I am very easily sidetracked and I might have a few blog posts that aren’t related to food, but I’ll try to keep those to a minimum.  By creating this blog, I am hoping to share my love of food with the world.  Please allow me to introduce myself and give you a glimpse of where my love of food began.

On May 31, 1990, God graced my parents with their fourth and favorite child.  It wasn’t long until this little boy fell in love with food.  In fact, most of my memories as a child are associated with food.  One of my first memories is refusing to put down a chicken leg that I had in my hand. Even though I was only four years old, I knew once I set it down someone else would pick it up and eat it.  The next thing I remember is waking up slumped over in my chair with a death grip on my chicken leg while everyone else was outside playing.  My mother remembers looking inside the porch window and seeing me with the biggest smile on my face eating the rest of my chicken leg.

Growing up, nothing brought our family together like my mom’s cooking.  My brother and I would be punching each other in the face, while my other two siblings would be playing basketball together, but as soon as we heard dinner was ready, the race was on.  We all needed to be in our seats for the blessing to start.  If one of us put our hands on a piece of food before the blessing or before everyone was at the table, we knew someone was about the get “smacked upside the head.”  There was always something about Momma Sides’ fried chicken, green beans, and fried squash that made being hit in the head worth it sometimes. Whether food is bringing together friends, family, or random strangers, there is no doubting its effects on the heart and soul.

Side note: The picture of me and my chicken leg will be coming soon!