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[Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/photos/search/beans%20stew/)
It starts silently. Hard and tenacious like something requiring time before it softens, dry beans soaking in water. You cannot hurry it. Pepper accompanies. Tomatoes fall into something deep and affluent. Palm oil splashes color like a sunset in a frying pan.
Bean stew is not gourmet cuisine. It does not aspire to be opulent. It has comforting qualities as well. It has a remembrance. It bears metal plates, family chats meandering between laughter and serious discussion, and afternoons spent at home.
Every bite seems like success. The beans that were once firm now shatter softly under pressure. Once distinct components become one flavor: mixed, balanced, total.
Good things take time, bean stew teaches something basic. Heat changes. Flavor deepens via patience. Sometimes the most delectable meals are those that seem plain yet have history in every mouthful.
Bean stew is not only cuisine. Warmth you can taste.