I was brought up in the three square meals era. Home cooked meals. I know it's hard for you younger people to get, but in our little town of Blytheville, AR, there were just not many places to eat out, so everyone was at home eating ,and kids were in bed by 8:00. That's right, 8:00 or before. When Clark and I go out to eat now, there are kids humming around the tables and playing on iphones at 9 and 10 on school nights. And we always wonder why they are out that late. When I was a kid, It was a huge deal for us to have dinner out-- like a birthday or a holiday treat. I can remember going to the Embers in Memphis for probably the first time I ate in a restaurant. I was hammered all the way in the car about where my napkin needed to be and how I was to use a quiet tone in talking. We were dressed nicely and were not allowed out of our chairs once seated. Times have changed, for sure. There is a restaurant on every corner and mom and dad are tired and just want to get a break.
But I digress. What I wanted to say today is that I am very aware of how cooking connects us....to the family and friends from whom we received the recipe, and to the memory of eating that particular food unique to the holiday season. I have some of my grandmother's cooking utensils and when I grip the pastry cutter, I think about how many pies and cookies I consumed at Mimi's house that were made by her hands with that very tool.
Two days this week, Mama came over and we made Christmas candy and cookies (our batting average on the fudge was .500). On our first try, the soft ball was not hard enough; on the second try we overcompensated and barely got the candy out of the pot before it hardened. But we made a memory and we laughed a lot. She can no longer make those delicious pies I blogged about last year, but she can still stir up a pot of homemade fudge or divinity. It just takes a few more tries. Sometimes the holidays can be bittersweet, even if you are surrounded by lots of folks, because you remember those Christmases at your grandmother's house or other family member's home that are now an impossibility. But somehow food is a great connector of family and memories. And it's not just in the eating but in the making too. Have a blessed Christmas!
But I digress. What I wanted to say today is that I am very aware of how cooking connects us....to the family and friends from whom we received the recipe, and to the memory of eating that particular food unique to the holiday season. I have some of my grandmother's cooking utensils and when I grip the pastry cutter, I think about how many pies and cookies I consumed at Mimi's house that were made by her hands with that very tool.
Two days this week, Mama came over and we made Christmas candy and cookies (our batting average on the fudge was .500). On our first try, the soft ball was not hard enough; on the second try we overcompensated and barely got the candy out of the pot before it hardened. But we made a memory and we laughed a lot. She can no longer make those delicious pies I blogged about last year, but she can still stir up a pot of homemade fudge or divinity. It just takes a few more tries. Sometimes the holidays can be bittersweet, even if you are surrounded by lots of folks, because you remember those Christmases at your grandmother's house or other family member's home that are now an impossibility. But somehow food is a great connector of family and memories. And it's not just in the eating but in the making too. Have a blessed Christmas!
2 comments:
Seasons Greetings to you too! Such a lovely blog entry.
And I can picture you, wisely and tirelessly, enjoying every minute of this with your mother. Laughing. Appreciating her and the few more times you'll be able to be doing things like this. I love the way your blog makes all of us more aware. Wonderful!
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