Cooking With Carafoli: Traditions Old and New – Appetizers, Side Dishes & Desserts

Salmon Gravlax

I was living in Chicago, and it was Christmas time, not one of my favorite holidays. Every year at this time, I would fly back to Cape Cod to visit my family. One year I decided to break this tradition and do something completely different. I bought three gifts, wrapped them up, sent them to my family, and found myself on a plane to Jamaica, wondering what I was doing. I had been working hard and needed time to myself.

Early Christmas morning, I left my hotel and walked down a street in Montego Bay. A gentleman was sweeping the sidewalk and cheerfully greeted me with “Merry Christmas.” To the left was an inlet of water with a small raft. I walked to the beach, took off my shirt, dove into the crystal-clear water, and swam to the raft. As I lay in the warm tropical sun and ran my hand through the water, observing the bottom, I was at peace. I then realized that sometimes it is essential to take a leap of faith, challenge oneself, and experience something new. After that day, opportunities opened up. I met new people and experienced Jamaica’s fresh foods and spices. I returned to Chicago refreshed, with new ideas and recipes, one appropriate for this article.

This experience made me realize a couple of things. What fun it is to create new traditions. It changed how I felt about Christmas. We hold on to old traditions until they no longer fulfill our needs.