--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We parked in back and walked down the…" description: "\"“We parked in back and walked down the stairs with their polished brass railings, past the old-fashioned kitchen. We could see the chefs cooking. It sm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/janet-fitch-717_brass_we-parked-in-back-and-walked-down-the-st_3129304.png" --- # We parked in back and walked down the stairs with their… ![“We parked in back and walked down the stairs with their polished brass railings, past the old-fashioned kitchen. We could see the chefs cooking. It smelled like stew, or meat loaf, the way time should smell, solid and nourishing.” quote by Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/janet-fitch-717_brass_we-parked-in-back-and-walked-down-the-st_3129304.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/janet-fitch-717_brass_we-parked-in-back-and-walked-down-the-st_3129304.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/janet-fitch-717_brass_we-parked-in-back-and-walked-down-the-st_3129304.png) > ““We parked in back and walked down the stairs with their polished brass railings, past the old-fashioned kitchen. We could see the chefs cooking. It smelled like stew, or meat loaf, the way time should smell, solid and nourishing.”” [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The description evokes a timeless, comforting atmosphere where ordinary spaces become sacred, reminding us that simple, sensory experiences can anchor us in the present. **In simple terms:** Simple sensory moments can feel grounding and nourishing. Key Takeaway Appreciate everyday sensory details. Themes memory comfort sensory perception Mood warm nostalgic Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - cooking - family gatherings - travel - mindful walking Key Concepts nostalgia embodiment Questions to Reflect On - What everyday scent grounds you? - How can you create nourishing routines? A Different Perspective May romanticize the past, overlooking hardships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brass/) [Chef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chef/) [Chefs cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chefs-cooking-30698/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Cooking Smelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking-smelled-5528192/) [Fashioned Kitchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashioned-kitchen-5528193/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Kitchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen/) [Like Stew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-stew-658517/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Old fashioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-fashioned/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Polished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polished/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Stairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stairs/) [Stairs Polished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stairs-polished-5528194/) [Stew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stew/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Walked Stairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-stairs-977260/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“I walked up the stairs and hesitated at the open door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/i-walked-up-the-stairs-and-hesitated-at-the-open-door/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [“Jesus, Dolores, you've got to get yourself together. You've got responsibilities. Think about those sometimes - okay? - and get your fucking head right."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jesus-dolores-you-ve-got-to-get-yourself-together-you-ve-got/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“My room was only eleven floors above Rosie's, so I walked up the stairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/my-room-was-only-eleven-floors-above-rosie-s-so-i-walked-up-the-stairs/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [God walked down the stairs of heaven with a Baby in His arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scherrer/god-walked-down-the-stairs-of-heaven-with-a-baby-in-his-arms/) [Paul Scherrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scherrer/) > [“The sun stirs the earth. Around and around, it stirs us like stew.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/the-sun-stirs-the-earth-around-and-around-it-stirs-us-like-stew/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Society is like a stew. If you don't stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/society-is-like-a-stew-if-you-don-t-stir-it-up-every-once-in-a-while/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [A caprice is handled like a stew, and the pepper is added at the last minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/a-caprice-is-handled-like-a-stew-and-the-pepper-is-added-at-the-last/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [Life is like a stew, you have to stir it frequently, or all the scum rises to the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/life-is-like-a-stew-you-have-to-stir-it-frequently-or-all-the-scum/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I would like to find a stew that will give me heartburn immediately, instead of at three o clock in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barrymore/i-would-like-to-find-a-stew-that-will-give-me-heartburn-immediately/) [John Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barrymore/) > [“Life like Stew!!!" -Gully Dwarf saying (Dragonlance)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-weis/life-like-stew-gully-dwarf-saying-dragonlance/) [Margaret Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-weis/) > [Cooking is an art and patience a virtue. Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-floyd/cooking-is-an-art-and-patience-a-virtue-careful-shopping-fresh/) [Keith Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-floyd/) > [Cooking done with care is an act of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/cooking-done-with-care-is-an-act-of-love/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Food is life, life is food. If you don't like my approach you are welcome to go down to McDonalds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-floyd/food-is-life-life-is-food-if-you-don-t-like-my-approach-you-are/) [Keith Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-floyd/) > [Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/cooking-is-at-once-one-of-the-simplest-and-most-gratifying-of-the/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/a-recipe-has-no-soul-you-as-the-cook-must-bring-soul-to-the-recipe/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) ## More by Janet Fitch > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“That fucking crow-bodied thing had won. How gleeful it was now. All because he'd wanted to live, forget genius and destiny, and simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/that-fucking-crow-bodied-thing-had-won-how-gleeful-it-was-now-all/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [No matter how unappealing, each of them imagines he is somehow worthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/no-matter-how-unappealing-each-of-them-imagines-he-is-somehow-worthy/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [The nearest I'd come to feeling anything like God was the plan blue cloudless sky and a certain silence, but how do you pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/the-nearest-i-d-come-to-feeling-anything-like-god-was-the-plan-blue/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [When most people looked at Josie Tyrell, they only saw a certain collection of bones, a selection of forms filling space. But Michael saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/when-most-people-looked-at-josie-tyrell-they-only-saw-a-certain/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“They can't touch us. We're the Vikings. We go into battle without armor for the flush and the blood of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/they-can-t-touch-us-we-re-the-vikings-we-go-into-battle-without-armor/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“But I knew one more thing. That people who denied who they were or where they had been were in the greatest danger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/but-i-knew-one-more-thing-that-people-who-denied-who-they-were-or/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“To dare to see is to steal fire from the Gods. This is mankind's destiny, the engine which fuels us as a race. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/to-dare-to-see-is-to-steal-fire-from-the-gods-this-is-mankind-s/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [This is what happens when you fall in love. You're looking at a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/this-is-what-happens-when-you-fall-in-love-you-re-looking-at-a/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“If I were a poet, that’s what I’d write about. People who worked in the middle of the night. Men who loaded trains, emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/if-i-were-a-poet-that-s-what-i-d-write-about-people-who-worked-in-the/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“what was the point in creating something that was so futile and so precious? everything beautiful was like that. a little bit of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/what-was-the-point-in-creating-something-that-was-so-futile-and-so/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“We received our coloring from Norsemen. Hairy savages who hacked their gods to pieces and hung the flesh from trees. We are the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/we-received-our-coloring-from-norsemen-hairy-savages-who-hacked-their/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [¨Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/loneliness-is-the-human-condition-cultivate-it-the-way-it-tunnels/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I was tired of men. Hanging in doorways, standing too close, men who made you love them then changed their minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-was-tired-of-men-hanging-in-doorways-standing-too-close-men-who/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) [Explore all 388 Janet Fitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) ## More Brass quotes > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [As you'll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/as-you-ll-never-hear-the-thing-again-my-boy-why-not-throw-in-a-couple/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-liked-the-taste-of-beer-its-live-white-lather-its-brass-bright/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [I smiled,"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-smiled-deoch-my-heart-is-made-of-stronger-stuff-than-glass-when-she/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Man, I did love this game. I'd have played for food money... I used to love traveling on the trains from town to town.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-liotta/man-i-did-love-this-game-i-d-have-played-for-food-money-i-used-to/) [Ray Liotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-liotta/) > [My father died very suddenly at sixty-three. Just dropped dead. For a long time afterward, I'd ask myself, Why didn't I ask him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/my-father-died-very-suddenly-at-sixty-three-just-dropped-dead-for-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [Don Quixote followed nature, and being satisfied with his first sleep, did not solicit more. As for Sancho, he never wanted a second, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/don-quixote-followed-nature-and-being-satisfied-with-his-first-sleep/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/virtue-and-learning-like-gold-have-their-intrinsic-value-but-if-they/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Custom is custom: it is built of brass, boiler-iron, granite; facts, reasonings, arguments have no more effect upon it than the idle winds have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/custom-is-custom-it-is-built-of-brass-boiler-iron-granite-facts/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [ As many bands as you heard \[in New Orleans\], that's how many bands you heard playing right. I thought I was in Heaven playing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/as-many-bands-as-you-heard-in-new-orleans-that-s-how-many-bands-you/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [I have reared a memorial more enduring than brass, and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids, which neither the corroding shower nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/i-have-reared-a-memorial-more-enduring-than-brass-and-loftier-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [If bullshit was music, that fellow would be a brass band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-crosbie/if-bullshit-was-music-that-fellow-would-be-a-brass-band/) [Paddy Crosbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-crosbie/) > [You fire blanks, but the guns eject real brass, hot cartridges. They're, like, 400 degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/you-fire-blanks-but-the-guns-eject-real-brass-hot-cartridges-they-re/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) > [Mexican Shuffle was a turning point of the Brass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-alpert/mexican-shuffle-was-a-turning-point-of-the-brass/) [Herb Alpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-alpert/) [Browse all 204 Brass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brass/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We parked in back and walked down the stairs with their polished brass railings, past the old-fashioned kitchen. We could see the chefs cooking. 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