Raw Food Friends

Back in college, Romel, Mike and I (the three original residents of 238 S. Barnard St, owned by Maggie Biddle, still the worst landlord I have ever had!) coined the terms "slow roasted" and "flash fried" friends. At the time, as Mike and I threw ourselves into activities, campus leadership roles, and secret societies, we began to make many friends of convenience--fast, immediately satisfying, but not nourishing over the long term. A lot like McDonalds: It smells great from the highway, the first few bites are delicious, but about six miles later it´s time to pull over and get that stuff out of your body! The slow roasted friendships, built up over many years, with layer upon layer of meaty, vegetably flavor, kept us healthy. And, when I´m really hungry, it´s still the slow roasted friends I turn to.

This trip has made me wonder if their might not be another group: the "raw food" friends. Quick and delicious. But, natural and healthy. The raw ingredients, perhaps, for eventual slow roasting, but without the time for cooking.

My friends in Xela--Amy, Tim, and Sarah, as well as folks like Bryan, Joe, Elizabeth, Kim, Claire, and Jecca, who I didn´t get to know quite as well or as quickly--seem to demand the creation of this group. Even knowing that I would only spend a few weeks with them, I come to admire and respect each tremendously, and to rely on them all quite a bit. After saying goodbye a few days ago on the beach in Panajachel (before jumping on a lancha!), I didn´t feel any sadness or regret, and the queasiness in my stomach was entirely due to the cracking boards of the small boat I was on. Much like having just eaten a really good salad, I felt healthy and full, and (unlike the salad) tremendously lucky for having much such wonderful people.