Guacamole

I really wanted to make some guacamole.

I don't know if I can rightfully explain it to you. There was a time when I really, really hated guacamole. Might have been the color - puke green - or it could have been the texture - thick and slimy, with chunks. Either way, I didn't eat the stuff until recently.

Thankfully, food preferences have a tendency to change with age. For instance, there was a time that I didn't eat mustard. Now I have honey mustard on nearly every sandwich I eat. I also used to hate tomatoes. I'm weening myself on them now, trying them out on sandwiches too. Feel like I'm finally becoming an adult. Though God help me I will never ever care for mushrooms.

As my culinary willingness has matured, guacamole has become more and more attractive to me. I've gotten over the color and texture - well, mostly - and realized that the stuff makes a fine dip. Turns out it's a pretty good spread too; trust me, try it on a turkey sandwich. And it works wonders with Mexican food, what it was originally intended to complement.

At some point I simply fell in love with guacamole.

But eating it was not enough; I knew I could also create it. I've only recently learned how to cook, and I'm enough of a rookie not to tackle anything too complicated. Guac presented to me a chance to make something simple of my own that couldn't be too easily screwed up. So I excitedly made plans to conduct my first guacamole preparation; Katie's roommate Lauren lent us her recipe, and we made the trek to Kroger - and, sigh, Wal Mart, when Kroger didn't have the seasoning mix - to pick up ingredients.

~

Mush up two avocados in a bowl. Stir in a fourth of a cup of sour cream. Add the seasoning pack. Zest a lime - shave it, essentially - and then juice it into the bowl. Mix. Guacamole.

Serve with chips. Or a turkey sandwich. Or some Mexican food.

~

At some point in the course of my guacamole night, my friend Taylor called me up to see what I was doing.

"I'm making guacamole," I said.

"Why?" he said.

"Because I can."

People didn't really understand why I was so excited to make my guacamole. And like I said, I'm not sure I can rightfully explain it all to you. But I can try.

Anybody can grill a chicken breast. Anybody can toss a salad. Anybody can throw frozen cookie dough on a tray and stick it in the oven.

Heck, anybody can make guacamole. The thing is, you have to create guacamole. It is the sum of its parts. I did not just add water; I mushed the avocados, I stirred in the sour cream, I zested and juiced the lime.

I was its creator.

And this, this is why I was so excited to make my guacamole - because I got to create something.
And I was proud of my work, too. Even though it was puke green and thick and slimy, it was really delicious.

Though next time, I might add tomatoes.

(This is not my guacamole. But it is a lovely picture of guacamole.)