Day 14: When food is home

Today's Task: Write about food

When we pulled up to the old garden center near the ice rink in Boxborough, Massachusetts, we exchanged looks of disbelief.

"Seems a little shady," I said, "but the Yelp Reviews warned that it was a unique location. Let's go in and give it a try. It can't be that bad."

We found a place to park in the gravel lot, and we got Beck out of this car seat.

"Want a burrito?" I asked Beck.

"Burrito!" He repeated throwing a celebratory fist in the air to punctuate his answer.

The three of us made our way to the front door of Oscar's Burritos. There was something in the ambience that made us feel a bit of optimism about our choice. I'm not sure if it was the chalkboard menu behind the burrito bar or the hodgepodge of tables and chairs in the dining area. Or maybe it was the Jarrito's fruit-flavored soda selection and the smell of cumin and garlic seasoned beef that made us feel like old friends within this space. Our initial fears were beginning to be assuaged.

We approached the counter, trying to get a sense of the menu in that quick-glance way a person does in an unfamiliar restaurant. Listed under "Today's Specials" was the selection that caught my eye--beef brisket burritos. I ordered a medium with everything. Since we had moved to Massachusetts, we had been missing Colorado's Mexican food offerings, but this seemed to have all of the bells and whistles we'd been without.

Beck chose us a slightly slanted table, but to us, even our wobbly chairs felt perfect. I picked up my burrito from its plastic red basket, and I held it in my hands for just a second. The warmth and the weight of the foil-wrapped treasure gave me comfort. I removed the foil with just a touch of skepticism. I had to acknowledge that my hopes may be dashed at first bite. I sunk my teeth into the warm tortilla and tasted my first bite--a blend of sour cream, smoky brisket, and guacamole flooded my taste buds.

When a person has been yearning to taste certain flavors but hasn't quite been able to find them, it's difficult to put into words the satisfaction that is attained to be reunited. It isn't just taste-bud pleasure; it is soul-level fulfillment, even the toes seem to twitter their approval.

'That's home," I said to Wes who was already halfway through his burrito and eyeing the pinto beans on Beck's quesadilla plate.

"Yeah," Wes agreed through chomps. "Good stuff."



When a family moves across the country to a new home, it's understood that they will bid many farewells. It's also understood that everything will feel unfamiliar for a while. It's all part of the transition, and a person learns to accept the changes as gracefully as she can. However, finding a place that brought me back home, even if only for the length of time it took to eat a burrito, was really special. And that's why, once a week, we make our way back to the old garden center by the ice rink, and I order the beef brisket burrito listed under "Today's Specials," on the chalkboard menu and for that time we sit as a family, in complete burrito bliss, and it feels like home.