The Adventures of Mom

(Or signs you may be harbouring a future world traveller)

I never saw it coming- honest. My son is such a home-loving child, unlike my daughter, who received a backpack and fluffy boots on Christmas morning, put them on, said “Bye Mom!” And headed out the door, still in her PJs with the rest of her gifts still wrapped- I knew then that she was destined to follow in my foot steps, whether I liked it or not. But it was my quiet son who shocked me one day when he came out with, “I don’t want to be like Emeril, I want to be like Bourdain.”

Now it is difficult to translate a five year old brain, but his Chef Daddy was watching Emeril on the TV at the time and the kids know that when Emeril goes off, it is time for bed. I, myself, watch the No Reservations show on the Travel Channel late at night and enjoy the sarcastic coffee house humor of the chain smoking, heavy drinking Anthony Bourdain. “Um, what do you mean?” I asked carefully, wondering if my son was destined to sit in sidewalk cafe’ s smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey.

“I don’t want to stay in one place like Emeril - I want to go all over like Bourdain.” He said.

Weesh! That was a close call. “Yes that would be cool to travel like Bourdain,” I agreed, seeing another piece of me in my son. Sorry Emeril & Daddy- I guess it’s NOT all about the food!