Kelley: Storytelling can be a delicious process

I at least waited the recommended two-minute cooling period before I ate the churro. Otherwise, I ate it in front of the oven, leaning over the cookie sheet to catch crumbs. It had been a long day and I wanted something that tasted good. Crunchy, chewy, with a slightly sweet carmel de leche center, it did taste good.

It might have tasted better if I had added cinnamon and sugar, as recommended by Elisangela Diaz-Andrade, but sometimes you need to do what it takes to not wash any more dishes.

I was introduced to Diaz-Andrade at the second workshop for the Mosaic Storytelling Showcase. In case you haven't heard yet, the Enquirer is sponsoring some Moth-like events where local people can tell personal stories that range from laugh-til-you-cry to try-not-to-cry.

People came to the workshop to offer support or pitch a food story to the committee (or to listen in because her boss suggested she write a column about it).

Mosaic storytelling series announces performers

There were two women there who had moved to Michigan from Brazil. Diaz-Andrade was too nervous to wing it on her story, so she read off a paper, about the churros her family used to eat and why she started making them herself. Then organizer Michelle Frank asked her to share a little bit about the churro-making business without looking at the paper, and the difference was startling. True, the words weren't as well-crafted, but Elisangela's eyes lit up and her voice became warmer and more animated.

Storytelling really does come from the heart.

I later went to Horrocks to buy the churros Diaz-Andrade makes here in Battle Creek — they're in a freezer, next to frozen pasta and pão de queijo by Brazilian Oven.

Brazilian Oven is a company owned by Silvana Q. Russell, another storyteller of the night. She makes the cheese buns with tapioca flour, made from mandioca, or the yucca plant. There is a lot of mandioca in Brazil.

The pão de queijo are relatively small. Being the sophisticated woman I am, I do not want to say they look weird, but they do not look like any cheese bread I've seen before. But the outside is crispy and the inside is chewy and cheesy, and who doesn't like that?

I won't go into how Silvana went from no cooking experience to owner of a food business, but I assure you it's hilarious and unexpected and you'll just have to attend the May 3 storytelling event to find out.

I heard some good stories that night, or in some cases, the seeds for a good story. My boss said I even missed some heart-wrenching stuff since I had to leave in the middle of the workshop.

There was a mix of cultures at the workshop that night, but food is food. It might mean different things to different people, but it's a language we all understand. Peecoon Allen described the first time she ate a strawberry, and we were all there with her.

Except maybe for "Swedish fish." Jake Wolverton, who is planning a story slam of his own for veterans, shared a story about Swedish fish in Afghanistan, and I was surprised at how many people thought he was talking about the actual finned animals -- including my boss, who comes from the foreign land of Pennsylvania.

After each story, there was a chance for the group to give kudos and ask questions.

Professionally, this part drove me crazy. When commenting on someone else's work, you're supposed to focus on the work, not share something about yourself -- even if it's leading up to your reaction to the story.

If I was workshop leader, I would have had a Nerf gun and shot people with Nerf balls every time they started a comment saying, "When I was young..."

Fortunately, the workshop was led by Dick Strader, who steered things with his gentle voice.

As an observer, though, it was fascinating. Stories beget stories. It was a communication, the kind that comes from the heart. Reacting in a personal way was irresistible.

When Donna Teichman talked about helping her grandfather tap trees for maple syrup, my eyes became watery. It wasn't from her narrative, which was as cheerful and nostalgic as the robin on her sweater.

There was something in the words she used and her talking about her own grandfather that suddenly and unexpectedly and terribly made me miss my Grandpa Kelley.

It wasn't anything specific, but my heart responded to something of the heart in the story.

The line-up for the May 3 event is: Nicole Mullis, Donna Teichman, Peecoon Allen, Jake Wolverton, Silvana Q. Russell, George Hernandez, Susan Glidden, Charles Rose, Maryann Nassallo-Angelo, Meredith Stravers and Jeremy Andrews.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Mosaic Storytelling Showcase: Food.

WHEN: 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 3.

WHERE: Burma Center, 765 Upton Ave., Springfield.

COST: $5; donations going to Food Bank of South Central Michigan.

INFO: To buy tickets, click here, or visit the Enquirer during office hours.