September 23, 2025
For me, the answer is easy: a big, hearty bowl of beef stew. Not the rushed, weeknight kind either. I’m talking about the kind that simmers on the stove all afternoon. The broth thickens, the meat softens, the potatoes and carrots soak up every bit of flavor, and the smell creeps into every corner of the house. It’s the edible version of a blanket.
When the first cool day of September hits, my brain goes straight to stew. Maybe it’s because autumn feels like the season of slowing down. Summer is all about speed, kids running in sprinklers, vacations crammed into weekends, baseball games that last forever. But autumn? Autumn asks us to take our time. To let things simmer.
Food is often how we mark the seasons. Some people taste fall in their first pumpkin spice latte, others in an apple cider doughnut at the local farm stand. My wife swears it’s chili night that makes autumn real. My kids? They’d probably say it’s the Halloween candy stash. Everyone has their own marker.
What makes beef stew special for me isn’t just the food, it’s the memory attached to it. I remember coming in from raking leaves as a kid, hands cold, nose red, and being handed a steaming bowl that made everything feel okay again. Food has a funny way of carrying comfort across time.
So, what’s yours? Maybe it’s something simple like hot chocolate after a chilly walk. Maybe it’s something complicated, like your grandmother’s apple pie recipe that no one can quite get right. Whatever it is, I’d bet it’s less about the taste and more about the memory. That’s the real flavor of autumn.
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💬 Your Turn
So… what food or drink instantly makes you think of Autumn?
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