Disturbance in The Force...

The Force " It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." - Obi-Wan Kanobe

I'm one of those people who have been extremely lucky to have traveled and lived in some of the most exciting cities in the world. As a Citizen of the World, I am blessed with an extremely diverse group of family and friends that live in all corners of the globe. The distance does pose challenges in keeping in touch, but advancements in technology and the integration of social media into our daily lives has made communication at lot more convenient, efficient and affordable. 

I have a very diverse group of friends - meaning my friends tend to run in different circles and often have no reason to interact. I guess this is a testament to my many and varied interests and the fact that I've always prided myself in my ability to create community.  My family and friends have often said that celebrating my birthday or any momentous occasion in my life is like gathering the United Nations Council! But there is a common interest that my varied circle of friends and family all agree on - FOOD! We can never stop talking (and consuming)  about food.

But what does food and friends have to do with The Force? 

You may believe in The Force or not - but in the experience of my circle of friends, The Force is a powerful bond - it means we share the same wave length, and it has everything to do with food! 

Today I was thinking French macarons... The thought consumed me - especially when I was in the pool!  I was in deep thought seriously contemplating the logistics of how to satisfy this craving today. After swim practice I checked my messages and I missed a call from one of my closest friends M, whom I haven't spoken to in months. I called M back and her greeting was "I feel a disturbance in The Force."  She was right! You see M loves macarons just as much as I do. I was contemplating what flavors to get and had a flashback to M's wedding... The table she assigned me kinda hijacked all the macarons from her dessert buffet, just to make sure we had all the flavors! I must add M did strategically seat us next to the dessert buffet, so she know exactly what we would be up to. Anyhow, without saying anything else, our conversation starts immediately about the perfection of a macaron - crisp, cloud, delicate flavor and perfect melt... This timing of food thought and connection with M - this is the power of The Force!

On my way to Maison Laduree's NYC location, on Madison & 71st, to successfully get my coveted Parisian macarons another friend of mine posted a blog she sent to me specifically. This friend A blogged about food gifts - and there it was front and center a box of Parisian macarons! A gave me a box of macarons as a birthday present, a few years back when I lived in Cincinnati.   Another disturbance felt in The Force! 

You may think this was just a coincidence - but this happens often... It happened when M was in the Philippines and posted her photo of mango cake, I just happened to also get mango cake from the Philippine bakery at Queens. It happened a few weeks ago when A, M and I were eating Cape Cod Salt & Vinegar Chips and happily updated our Facebook statuses from our corners of the world declaring our satisfaction. The Force is actually quite strong between my father and I - between things we've eaten or are preparing... This also happened with my mom and sister who live in the Philippines, they were eating at one of my favorite restaurant's, and my phone call caught them both - another disturbance in The Force. 

I can't really explain The Force. You may think it's silly, but as a Citizen of the World, I love having these moments to share and laugh with my friends and family. It certainly makes life interesting and fuses the bond of friendship and family across the many miles and oceans that separate us.  If only The Force came with a transporter system - the possibilities and opportunities for shared meals across the globe would be endless!

So for now, I leave a disturbance in The Force... Below is photographic evidence of the extraordinary treasures I bought - direct from Paris (they ship 3 times a week to NYC from France), from the people who invented the macaron in the 20th century... Bon Appetit!