Mr. Chris Goes to Cleveland – Pt VII: Thank You and Praise Mama

by chriscrews · Published 01/21/2013 · Updated 01/21/2013

Like all good adventure stories, somewhere or else mom makes an appearance. Well, not always, but she should, right. Well, this is another one of those “man this will make a great post” but now I’ve forgotten it moments. Also, as I approach the end of this adventure journal, I find the stories also fading from my memory, leaving more vague impressions than clear pictures. But I do remember this conversation happened while sitting on a couch, and involved one husband and his kid asking mom for some extra time to do something silly (I forget what now), and “mama” assenting–I seem to remember it being somewhat begrudgingly, but that may just be my poor memory. Either way, the outcome was two excited boys and dad leading the charge with a cry of “Praise Mama”!This is the infamous “mama,” captured here hard at work in her kitchen. This was pre-New Years prep for the gathering we had at their house with some friends new and old. And in case “mamma” is reading this, as I promised, I didn’t use the “other” kitchen photo, which is so much more amusing but perhaps not as, well let’s just say when we make faces and they get captured on camera, yeah…I’ll leave it at that 😉

But in all seriousness, let me say a few words about “mama” Sabrina. I had the fortune to meet her back in my undergrad days at Ohio University. I was part of a student activist network in the Midwest, and had gone to a student activist conference at Yale in New Haven, which is where we first met. She was still in Indiana, and after hitting it off at the conference, rode back with our little troupe of Athenians en route to the midwest. Without knowing it, our fates were sealed, and she eventually married one of my best mates (and frequent roommate). And while we are now living quite different lives then when we first met, our friendship over the years has not changed–although I must admit that seeing them once a year is far too little for my liking.

So in honor of mama ‘brina, here are some of the amazing dishes she concocted for the New Years gathering at their place. Thank you and praise mama indeed!