A Touch of Spice

Today in class we watched a movie called A Touch of Spice and the story focuses on a Greek named Fanis who loved to cook as a child growing up in Istanbul but became an astrophysicist after his parents banned him from pursuing cooking. He grew up with his grandfather teaching him astronomy with the spices from his shop but his father, worried that his son was becoming too feminine, bans him from cooking at all. Fanis’ family is then deported when a large majority of Greeks are forced to leave Turkey before World War 1 and Fanis leaves behind a girl that he loves. Fanis’s grandfather promises to come visit him but never does leaving Fanis bitter towards his grandfather. They are finally reunited at the end of the movie while his grandfather is on his deathbed. The movie is divided into three distinct sections: appetizers, main course, and dessert. Each part focuses on a part of Fanis’ childhood and his development into a chef until his father bars him from the kitchen. Fanis then struggles to find his identity without being able to pursue his passion for cooking. The movie culminates with him rediscovering his passion for cooking and finding his identity in something new.

What I want to focus on now is a quote from Fanis’ grandfather while Fanis is still a boy and his grandfather is teaching him about spices and astronomy. While talking about salt Fanis’ grandfather says “Both food and life need salt to make them tastier.”This made me consider my own life and all the things that I could consider salts of my life. I came to the conclusion that he was right; we do need salt in our lives. Salt is mainly used to season food and is one of the most basic seasons you could use. But it makes me think of the simple things in life that add “seasoning” to our lives. For example, I am not at home right now but I know a lot of you are, when it snows being able to look out your window and see the individual flakes fall. Or being able to watch the sun set and actually see the last sliver of sun set past the horizon and then realize that you just saw the world move. Or the joy of starting a new book. Or realizing that you don’t have class tomorrow so you know you don’t have to set your alarm and that it doesn’t matter what time you wake up. Because you never know the little things that you do that brighten up other peoples lives.

It’s these little things in life that we don’t notice that give our lives that extra bit of spice and make living our lives that much better.