Kitchen Magic

It was late night, let's say about 1:30 am Wednesday morning. I had taken a fresh Gala apple, cut it up, and threw the slices into a small saucepan halfway filled with NYC tap water. Sprinkled in some fresh cinnamon spice, brought on sale. Last, added in a few cloves. 

Then I sat down on a worn kitchen chair, placing myself near the stove. 

Two things should be noted here. First, I have an electric stove. The electric stove is usually convenient, but somehow I felt electric vs. gas slightly shifted this experiment. 

Second, right after I turned the stove on, I sneezed. So much for smells. 

Yet the process itself stirred up a few visuals. I thought about how this could be similar to practicing basic folk magic. All of the ingredients symbolize things a person would want to attract. For example, the everyday ingredient of cinnamon corresponds to both protection and money. Mostly money. I remembered what a friend had told me. This friend mentioned one time that her mother would throw in cinnamon into her cooking. It was to help bring forth extra money for the family. 

This led to recalling articles posted online about Hoodoo practices. Hoodoo is an American folk practice, mostly based from the South. Again, images of folk magic came forth. Imagine households passing this sort of information, particularly from mothers to daughters, occasionally sons. Think of this as an organic bard. It sounds silly and superstitious to some non-believers. Yet it's the faith of such practices that keep these traditions going. 

Ten minutes had passed. Finally I was able to smell something through my blocked nose. I smelled the the apples. It had a sweet scent as if it was hot apple cider. The sweetness of the boiled apples were perfect for a cold mid-February night. Alas, I had to head to bed. It was now 1;49am. Only stray cats and drunk people would be up. 

My homemade brew was pleasant to the nose, but realistically I couldn't wait for the 'witches hour.'

Michele B.

Feb. 2019