07 June, 2010

The perfect relationship


In my humble 26 years of life, I have learned a thing or two about good relationships.

First, both partners need to be unique individuals with their own characteristics and identity. Admit it - we all roll our eyes at the couple that consists of one partner and their clone, and we can all identify at least one friend who changes who they are and what they enjoy based on who they are with. Nobody wants to date themselves. Thats boring, and weird.

With that being said, it is important that the partners complement each other. It is crucial that the two are able to support each other regardless of the circumstances and environment they encounter. When you have someone you can rely on, the unknown is less scary.

It is important that each member of the team be tolerant of the other's tastes and aspirations despite coming from different backgrounds or growing up in different areas. That isn't to say that one must like and agree with everything the other does - just respect those differences.

Finally, it is important that both partners are willing to devote time to each other, enjoy each other's company, both contribute to the integrity of the relationship, and both feel that they are a meaningful part of the pair.

And the very last key to a great relationship is humor.

...and now I would like to announce the relationship of the century award...





It goes to ......






CHEESE AND TOMATOES



This pair has going for it what all of us hope to have one day.

Cheese and tomatoes are nothing like each other. Each is completely unique - not even from the same food groups. They are cultivated completely differently, and while there are many varieties of each, cheese and tomatoes share few other similarities with each other.

Despite coming from such different backgrounds, cheese and tomatoes are able to come together in such a variety of ways. Put cheese on bread, grill it up, and tomato soup or ketchup become the perfect complements. Change it up a bit and put the cheese on a tortilla instead, and now salsa is the supporting sidekick. Make another alteration and this time and stretch out a nice round bread-like substance, spread with tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese, and now you have one of the finest combinations ever. Take out the carbs completely, and tomatoes and cheese do just fine together without any other ingredients to tarnish their taste.

Now see the key here is that a tomato without the cheese is edible - and it serves the purpose of making people wonder what gets classified as a fruit and what as a vegetable. And cheese is similar. Sure, pair it with a cracker, and you've got something that can last for a little while, but pair it with a tomato, and there is no telling how long those flavors can continue to appease you. Cheese is here to prove to us that the word coagulation can lead to delicious. That's right, nothing is more appealing/appalling than coagulated milk proteins. So, each item, tomatoes, and cheese, can get through a few situations when paired with other items. Just like we can get through parts of life in mediocre relationships. But if you want a combination that can make any meal work, put the tomatoes and cheese together - and now you have a meal that will succeed despite the time of day, the type of meal, or the fanciness of the occasion.

Each has a reason for existing alone, but the greatness of each is amplified when you put them together.

No better place to amplify such greatness than in my belly :)

And in real relationships, people need to complement AND compliment each other.