the world in a pie

As my mother hands me the recipe I can tell it means a lot to her. I get why, this recipe is from her side of the family. I don't know how far back it could have come from. As far as I know it could have come over from italy with her grandparents. Even though her family wasn't very good, i know she holds on to this piece of it.

this means a lot to me too, after all it's my family too. i hope that i can do this today. i know there isn't a lot of pressure for this, but i put it on myself.

Once it's in my hands i can almost feel the power surging through me. This will be the first time to combine recipes. my dad's side, from Germany, will provide the filling to this pecan pie. My mom's side will contribute the crust. I feel so lucky to get to make this. i want to do it right. i know they will say there is no wrong way, but to me there is; and i hope i don't do it. bringing this together will be my mission.

but it's more than just two countries, it's the world. the pecans came from a farm where some one worked hard to grow them. the flour which came from a mill in another state. the recipe from someone who worked hard to make, and perfect it. this is not all, in fact i believe the whole world could fit into this pie.

Germany, where the filling recipe came from. Italy, where the crust recipe came from. United States, where i am making it now. Europe, can be sweet like the sugar. Asia, like the salt, for the sea food they are known for. Africa, like the eggs you can't have just one. Australia, like the warm melted butter. South American, the nuts for their trees. North america, like the corn syrup cause they get all over the place. each of these places fits in wonderfully, at least in my mind. i hope you can see we are all one world, just like this will be one pie.

slowly i add the ingredients to the bowl. i think about each place as i do. Once it's in the oven i start to think about my family. how they cam to america for a better life, but still brought some of their life with them. And how this pie shows that, we don't have to leave all we love, but we should show who we love what we a bringing. if my mother's grandparents had not passed this down i would still make pie, but it wouldn't have the world in it; i would still be here, but i wouldn't be connecting anything; i would still live, but i wouldn't know what the past held. that's why this is so special, because it will be something i pass on; how it will be something i can share; how it will be something i pass down, and how it will be something my children talk about. 

i hope to share this story of how i put the world in a pie. because to me it's more than just a pie, it's me bringing my family together. i know they might not care, but i do. i know they might not realize what this means, but i do. i know that this will be a moment i remember forever; the moment i brought my family together with a simple pie. Even though to me it's so much more than a pie.