The Origin of Sara

Where did I come from?

It's a rhetorical question. I know. I know it in a literal and in a spiritual, cosmic sense. Yet tonight as I told my mom I was making moussaka for dinner, and she asked what it was... I wondered how I got to the point where I even thought of trying moussaka, let alone making it. After all, the only time I saw eggplant as a kid was when Grandpa couldn't find anyone else to give it to. Not to mention, sharp cheeses were to be found only at Christmas when Grandpa's sister would send a deluxe cheese basket from New York - the cheeses largely met with a cautious scorn.

It made me think about my other quirks and the century-old "Nature v. Nurture" question.

• I grew up in a small town - and prefer the vibrancy of a larger metro area.


• I grew up eating an abundance of fresh vegetables, that didn't include eggplant, zucchini, summer squash that was cooked any way but creamed or sweet potatoes beyond Thanksgiving weekend - zucchini (squashes of any type), eggplant and sweet potatoes are practically staples in my adult kitchen.


• I grew up eating a particularly typical diet, with predictable, simple flavors - now, I revel in complex flavors and exotic techniques and ingredients.


• I love public radio, the theater, art museums, historical "wide spots in the road," and Civil War battlefield sites - most of which would make my family giggle and say "That's Sara for you."


• I grew up where girls dreamed of being mothers to a houseful of children in a town where extended families bought up whole blocks. I drooled over high heels, dreamed of a corner office and a colonial house on a tree-lined street in the East.


• The book on my nightstand is The China Price. It generally draws a "what on earth are you reading that for?" question from anyone who happens to catch me reading it.

I could go on. There are a hundred little things that make me so different than my small-town, mono-everything upbringing predicted. And I wonder ... why? How did sushi become my favorite food? When did economics grow to fascinate me? To whom do I owe my wanderlust?

Why did I turn out just a little differently?

In the same breath, I wonder if it is also why I often feel alone.