Thursday, August 28, 2008

Like when all those ladies are bringing Cutty home-cooked food in Season 4 of The Wire...

Somehow, I've gotten on the good side of a former student's mother.

The student ran up to me on Tuesday, and told me her mother was preparing food for some teachers, and took my order. Now, last year, the student, a sweet Muslim girl with a whip-smart mind, shared some of her lunch with me a few times. I remember eating the sweetest corn bread I'd ever tasted, and she grinned at me and told me the secret was maple syrup in the batter. After that moment, she would bring things in to me from time to time. And it was never less than terrific.

So I gladly wrote my order down, hurriedly and a little confusedly in between classes. Phone number? Check. Dietary resrictions? I'm one of those vegetarians who eat fish, so I'm really a pescetarian. Spicy? Heck yes.

Yesterday, she brought me grits, scrambled eggs with tuna, and buttered toast. I was in the middle of teaching, was shocked by the kindness, and stammered a thank you and set it on my desk. I had two classes to go before I had a break and could eat it, and could smell the aroma wafting from being my computer. I stomach was growling by the time 10am rolled around (my current schedule, which is getting up at 5am, working out for 90 minutes, eating a Fiber One bar at 8am in a car on the way over to school, and then working for a couple of hours before any other break, contributes to my hunger.)

I thought it was a one-time thing, but, today, at 8:20 am, I was in the middle of the drill when I heard a knock on my classroom door again. Another tupperware container. Another meal of grits, scrambled eggs, and toast. The only change was, this time, she had plastic silverware wrapped inside a napkin. She grinned, handed it to me, and told me she'd see me tomorrow.

Talk about feeling appreciated. And, wow, that's some damn good food she's giving me. What a cook! I'm pretty sure she's making multiple deliveries around the school, although her current English teacher has not gotten in on the action yet. I asked. You know, "So, is Rabiya's mother bringing you a gourmet breakfast every day, or is it just me?". Ha.

Anyhow, another great thing happening this week, in a rather wonderful week start to the school year.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nothing is better than delicious homemade foods. I visited one of my muslim students for dinner a few years ago. Her mom packed up a whole platter for my husband to enjoy at home. We wrote just about the nicest thank you note ever and were rewarded with treats all year long.