A Tribute
This morning, my grandmother passed away--the only grandparent I got the chance to know. Her health had been on a steady decline for a number of months, so we all had time to prepare. I’m pleased to say that she was resting comfortably in recent days, and that at least made things better for me.
She really loved her family. I mean, as far as earthly things go, we were everything to her, and we knew that. What an honor.
As is so often the case here in the South, my grandmother’s food was so much more than just meats and vegetables and starches. Her food meant love and tradition and memory. Because of that, I wanted to talk a little about her food, as a memorial to her.
Let’s start with breakfast. I had many opportunities to spend the night at her house, and she always insisted on preparing breakfast. She knew I didn’t like eggs--a morning staple for so many people--so she had to compensate...with bacon. Sure, there was always some toast or biscuits, but when she cooked breakfast for me, it was all about the bacon. When I visited, she would fry up AN ENTIRE PACKAGE OF BACON for breakfast. And, lo and behold, I would eat the whole thing. Bacon is so good! Granted, most of the time my sister would be spending the night as well, so maybe I’d only get to eat half a package. It’s all about portion control. ;)
Virtually all of my grandmother’s food was made from scratch--no big surprise there. I mean, creamed potatoes...always from scratch. Beans, peas, and corn…never from a can. She loved cooking up fresh produce. Of course, we grandkids always loved her macaroni and cheese; it’s not the healthiest side dish, but it’s often times a winner. Imagine the shock and surprise we experienced when we found out that her mac & cheese was Stouffer’s. Seriously! Straight from the freezer case to the microwave to the serving bowl. It didn’t matter to us, of course. And my goodness, she deserved to take a shortcut somewhere.
Why did she deserve to take a shortcut? Because she was known to COOK WAY TOO MUCH! Let me paint a picture for ya; pick a holiday. How about Thanksgiving (even though it could be Christmas or Easter or any other day that brought our whole family together). Her entire 8-person dining table would be covered in food. Two or three meats. A dozen or more sides. (I’m NOT exaggerating on that.) Then, move over to her buffet. That’s where the cold stuff was. The relish tray, the coleslaw, the fresh tomatoes and green onions. And, the cornbread often found its way there too. Let me pause on the cornbread for a second. It was sooooo good! My mother has pretty much figured out how to replicate it, and that’s a really good thing. The cornbread was also always served upside-down--you know, a result of getting it out of the cast iron skillet. To this day, when I see cornbread served right side up, it looks wrong to me. ;) Anyway, we’re not done with her cooking spread. Move over to her breakfast table, where the grandchildren sat. There were always a couple of things that had to be put on that table, because it wouldn’t fit on the big one. It seemed that the sliced ham always was there, because I had some cousins that absolutely loved it. Granted, it was good, but I always thought it took up valuable plate space that was better suited for other things. ;) And, finally, desserts. She’d always conjure up about 3 desserts. Now, wrap your mind around all that food. She would somehow do all of this BY HERSELF. She refused to have her daughters-in-law bring any food. She at least would let the family help move the food to serving bowls when it was time to eat, but that’s all. I’m still pretty amazed by all that. The few times I’ve tried to cook a whole meal for people, it was crazy enough to try and cook 3 or 4 things at once.
There are many, many more tidbits I could share about my grandmother and her food, but I’m just gonna mention one more. It has to do with lima beans. I love lima beans; I really do, and I’m the only person in the family that loves lima beans that much. One time, I overheard my grandmother mention to someone that she was preparing lima beans for one of our family meals, because she knew I loved them so much. And, from then on, I realized that they were at every single meal. As you might expect, I felt special and loved. Every time I eat lima beans, I think of her. Of course, that also explains why she felt compelled to cook so much food for every family gathering...eleven family members equals eleven favorites. Eleven chances for her to show how much she cared, and she never missed that opportunity. :)
She really loved her family. I mean, as far as earthly things go, we were everything to her, and we knew that. What an honor.
As is so often the case here in the South, my grandmother’s food was so much more than just meats and vegetables and starches. Her food meant love and tradition and memory. Because of that, I wanted to talk a little about her food, as a memorial to her.
Let’s start with breakfast. I had many opportunities to spend the night at her house, and she always insisted on preparing breakfast. She knew I didn’t like eggs--a morning staple for so many people--so she had to compensate...with bacon. Sure, there was always some toast or biscuits, but when she cooked breakfast for me, it was all about the bacon. When I visited, she would fry up AN ENTIRE PACKAGE OF BACON for breakfast. And, lo and behold, I would eat the whole thing. Bacon is so good! Granted, most of the time my sister would be spending the night as well, so maybe I’d only get to eat half a package. It’s all about portion control. ;)
Virtually all of my grandmother’s food was made from scratch--no big surprise there. I mean, creamed potatoes...always from scratch. Beans, peas, and corn…never from a can. She loved cooking up fresh produce. Of course, we grandkids always loved her macaroni and cheese; it’s not the healthiest side dish, but it’s often times a winner. Imagine the shock and surprise we experienced when we found out that her mac & cheese was Stouffer’s. Seriously! Straight from the freezer case to the microwave to the serving bowl. It didn’t matter to us, of course. And my goodness, she deserved to take a shortcut somewhere.
Why did she deserve to take a shortcut? Because she was known to COOK WAY TOO MUCH! Let me paint a picture for ya; pick a holiday. How about Thanksgiving (even though it could be Christmas or Easter or any other day that brought our whole family together). Her entire 8-person dining table would be covered in food. Two or three meats. A dozen or more sides. (I’m NOT exaggerating on that.) Then, move over to her buffet. That’s where the cold stuff was. The relish tray, the coleslaw, the fresh tomatoes and green onions. And, the cornbread often found its way there too. Let me pause on the cornbread for a second. It was sooooo good! My mother has pretty much figured out how to replicate it, and that’s a really good thing. The cornbread was also always served upside-down--you know, a result of getting it out of the cast iron skillet. To this day, when I see cornbread served right side up, it looks wrong to me. ;) Anyway, we’re not done with her cooking spread. Move over to her breakfast table, where the grandchildren sat. There were always a couple of things that had to be put on that table, because it wouldn’t fit on the big one. It seemed that the sliced ham always was there, because I had some cousins that absolutely loved it. Granted, it was good, but I always thought it took up valuable plate space that was better suited for other things. ;) And, finally, desserts. She’d always conjure up about 3 desserts. Now, wrap your mind around all that food. She would somehow do all of this BY HERSELF. She refused to have her daughters-in-law bring any food. She at least would let the family help move the food to serving bowls when it was time to eat, but that’s all. I’m still pretty amazed by all that. The few times I’ve tried to cook a whole meal for people, it was crazy enough to try and cook 3 or 4 things at once.
There are many, many more tidbits I could share about my grandmother and her food, but I’m just gonna mention one more. It has to do with lima beans. I love lima beans; I really do, and I’m the only person in the family that loves lima beans that much. One time, I overheard my grandmother mention to someone that she was preparing lima beans for one of our family meals, because she knew I loved them so much. And, from then on, I realized that they were at every single meal. As you might expect, I felt special and loved. Every time I eat lima beans, I think of her. Of course, that also explains why she felt compelled to cook so much food for every family gathering...eleven family members equals eleven favorites. Eleven chances for her to show how much she cared, and she never missed that opportunity. :)
posted by Trey at
9:26 AM
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