Where was grandpa?
HUH? What's up with that? is about many different things, but chiefly deals with the disparity of treatment shown older people by a younger generation. Too many times we speak without thought or consideration of others. All too frequently, we fail to activate any kind of filter and the gap between thought and deed becomes miniscule. But, an area that is almost excluded from criticism of any kind from anyone is what we politely refer to as grandma's cooking! In fact, grandma's cooking is very nearly on hallowed ground.
Every culture I can think of reveres grandma's cooking. Family stories gain legendary proportions when reminiscing about a speciality or particular dish prepared by a grandmother on one side of the family or the other. Sometimes a family really lucks out and two grandmas are fabulous cooks! Interestingly, families of various ethnic backgrounds seem to have fostered many, many great cooks. Ethnicity seems to play a huge role in foods we consider memorable if we grew up in that environment.
Arabic, Greek, French, Italian, German, Asian, Ethiopian, Bosnian, Polish, Israeli or any other nationality has its share of specialties that are forever compared to the way grandma used to make them. The comparisons are endless and strangely, they become more vivid and intense as we age. It becomes far more difficult to find comparable quality of preparation and ultimate taste of a dish the older we become. After a while, average becomes the norm and what grandma did becomes but a distant memory and is all but impossible to recreate or copy. I have often said, I don't know what she did, but this doesn't taste the same as hers tasted. For families without ethnic ties, our taste buds relish grandma's fried chicken, meatloaf or other comparable dishes.
Often called American food or southern cooking, many restaurants feature this cuisine as original fare. Recently, my wife and I ate at a restaurant in Charleston which specialized in dishes originally created by the chef's South Carolina grandmother (or so said the menu). It was impossible for us to know if the recipes were tried and true, but the cuisine was definitely unique and not easily reproduced. So, can we agree grandma's cooking created great memories for many of us? But, it's not an absolute! Here's a hypothetical.
What if grandma wasn't a good cook? What does that do to Cracker Barrel's campaign of Home cooking like grandma used to make. It would definitely change the perception of Cracker Barrel food in that person's mind. Grandma and bad cook in the same sentence? It doesn't seem possible because I have never heard a friend or family member complain about grandma's cooking. But, doesn't that bring up another logical question?
Where was grandpa throughout cooking history? Today, some of the world's greatest chefs are men, but not back when grandma was creating her reputation. Did men not go near the kitchen? Did they ever want to try their hand at one of the family's treasured recipes, but were shamed and told to go do something else? The stories we are regaled with today convey grandma's prowess in the kitchen, but make no mention of grandpa going there for any reason but to eat. Perhaps that's the way it was back then, but not for me today. I love to cook. Even so, it's hard to ever imagine a billboard touting....like grandpa used to make! HUH? What's up with that?
HUH? What's up with that? is about many different things, but chiefly deals with the disparity of treatment shown older people by a younger generation. Too many times we speak without thought or consideration of others. All too frequently, we fail to activate any kind of filter and the gap between thought and deed becomes miniscule. But, an area that is almost excluded from criticism of any kind from anyone is what we politely refer to as grandma's cooking! In fact, grandma's cooking is very nearly on hallowed ground.
Every culture I can think of reveres grandma's cooking. Family stories gain legendary proportions when reminiscing about a speciality or particular dish prepared by a grandmother on one side of the family or the other. Sometimes a family really lucks out and two grandmas are fabulous cooks! Interestingly, families of various ethnic backgrounds seem to have fostered many, many great cooks. Ethnicity seems to play a huge role in foods we consider memorable if we grew up in that environment.
Arabic, Greek, French, Italian, German, Asian, Ethiopian, Bosnian, Polish, Israeli or any other nationality has its share of specialties that are forever compared to the way grandma used to make them. The comparisons are endless and strangely, they become more vivid and intense as we age. It becomes far more difficult to find comparable quality of preparation and ultimate taste of a dish the older we become. After a while, average becomes the norm and what grandma did becomes but a distant memory and is all but impossible to recreate or copy. I have often said, I don't know what she did, but this doesn't taste the same as hers tasted. For families without ethnic ties, our taste buds relish grandma's fried chicken, meatloaf or other comparable dishes.
Often called American food or southern cooking, many restaurants feature this cuisine as original fare. Recently, my wife and I ate at a restaurant in Charleston which specialized in dishes originally created by the chef's South Carolina grandmother (or so said the menu). It was impossible for us to know if the recipes were tried and true, but the cuisine was definitely unique and not easily reproduced. So, can we agree grandma's cooking created great memories for many of us? But, it's not an absolute! Here's a hypothetical.
What if grandma wasn't a good cook? What does that do to Cracker Barrel's campaign of Home cooking like grandma used to make. It would definitely change the perception of Cracker Barrel food in that person's mind. Grandma and bad cook in the same sentence? It doesn't seem possible because I have never heard a friend or family member complain about grandma's cooking. But, doesn't that bring up another logical question?
Where was grandpa throughout cooking history? Today, some of the world's greatest chefs are men, but not back when grandma was creating her reputation. Did men not go near the kitchen? Did they ever want to try their hand at one of the family's treasured recipes, but were shamed and told to go do something else? The stories we are regaled with today convey grandma's prowess in the kitchen, but make no mention of grandpa going there for any reason but to eat. Perhaps that's the way it was back then, but not for me today. I love to cook. Even so, it's hard to ever imagine a billboard touting....like grandpa used to make! HUH? What's up with that?
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