Introducing Sweet Potato Kitchen to the BDN blog network

Hey, y’all! I’m coming at you from the highly wooded, very snowy, central Maine town of Benton and I am here to take you on a food journey of epic proportions.

Bethany Mathieu

Bethany Mathieu

Okay, so that’s definitely hyperbole. Then again, extreme exaggeration seems to be working for people now-a-days, am I right?

Before I embark on this journey, I would like to set the context of this blog with a quote that I think will resonate with all of us. It comes from Elizabeth Gilbert’s New York Time’s bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love and it goes something like this:

In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible. Pleasure cannot be bargained down. And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real.

Regardless of your political leanings, your age, your socio-economic status, your marital or family circumstances, regardless of anything, I think we can all agree that the stresses of life are very real for every one of us. Maybe it’s the generation, maybe it’s technology or this culture of isolation and constant distraction, maybe it’s money or this cold, cold winter we are all struggling to get through, or maybe it’s just the inevitable outcome of being a human being. We are all struggling to get by, and we are all in need of a little reprieve.

No matter how big or how small, it is more important than ever that we consciously seek out pleasure in any way that we can. Certainly, if I had thousands of dollars to throw around I would be booking a plane to Florida today (no, make it Italy- a dreamer can dream, right?) and I would be living the good life for a while, probably double fisting a margarita and some wine and mowing down on a very large plate of bacon and cheese. Unfortunately, for most of us, it is the small pleasures that we must teach ourselves to seek out and embrace. This is a conscious act. It is an effort. For me and for many of you, food in this context becomes a way, on a daily basis, to indulge, to connect with the people that we love, to take a breath and to let our senses wash away all the nonsense that floods our brains like sewer water 99% of time.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

It is your obligation as a human being to make sure you are finding happiness in any way that you can. Make tonight the night that you stop what you’re doing and cook something delicious for yourself or your family. Sit down in a cozy space if you are single, or sit down around a table if you have a family. Throw your phone out the window. Eat. Talk. Stop being so complicated for a minute. Just let everything go. You’ll be happy that you did.

I am here to hand deliver you a little bit of sanity in the form of food. Please, please enjoy!

Bethany Mathieu

About Bethany Mathieu

Hey, y'all! I’m coming at you from the highly wooded, very snowy, central Maine town of Benton and I am here to take you on a food journey of epic proportions.