Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Meals make Memories

I'm a little late posting this but today was one of those days when nothing flows just like you want it to. So here is just one of the memory meals that left a lasting impression on me. I'm the oldest of five children & I don't think we were really poor but I remember my mom stretching the food so that all of us always had plenty, with usually some left over for her to make soup or another meal from the left overs. But the meal I really liked was so simple, we had boiled potatoes, with alot of butter smeared all over them, seasoned with chives, boiled ring bologna, (yes I know not everyone likes that), pork-n-beans,doctored up with brown sugar & a little mustard. I would always cut the bologna up in little pieces & smear ketchup all over it, dump the beans on top of my potatoes & mix that all up with the butter. It just tasted so good to me. Now most of you are probably going, Yuck but that was one of the meals that I loved, I don't think my siblings shared that same affection either. We would have potatoes left over & mom would use them to fry up for another meal. This was before fried foods became a no,no. My father was a hunter as well & we often had rabbit, squirrel,or pheasant & quail.

Now just to set the record straight this was not our typical meal. We grew up eating alot of unusual things that most kids never heard of, like dandelion flowers dipped in a breading & fried, these were amazingly good & tasted like mushrooms, we ate the leaves in salad too they were kinda bitter but mixed with other greens made an interesting mix of flavors. We ate alot of vegetables from the garden & my dad often raised things like Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, different kinds of lettuce, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas & most of the usual veggies as well, tomatoes, cukes, onions, & peppers, carrots etc. We ate salad almost every meal with at least some of the unusual veggies & never thought it was weird. When ever we had our friends over for a meal they would often question some of the items that were served but after giving them a try liked what they ate.

I think because of being introduced to foods that are slightly different at a young age I have developed a taste for new & different things that challenge the palate even today. I know my co-workers often look to see what I have for lunches & turn up their noses, but that's what makes the world interesting & fun...This was also fun so hope you enjoyed this memory. For more neat memories check out FriedOkra.

4 comments:

Mari said...

You are right - this helps explain some of your unusual meals! However - they are healthy meals and I think you are right. It opened you up to eat different things. I enjoyed reading this.

Megan Cobb said...

Thanks for participating, Nancy! I loved this - I think the potato/bologna/beans meals sounds wonderful (what's a bologna RING?) and am very envious of all of those delicious and unusual veggies you had growing up. YUM.

Unknown said...

friedokra.. a bologna ring is something that can't alway be found any more, but is generally in the grocery store where you will find lunch meats, hot dogs & that sort of stuff. It looks like a big sausage..

T with Honey said...

Ring bologna.... now I'm hungry!! And I can't get a good ring bologna in New England. Guess I'll have to have mom pick some up at the Farmer's Market before she visits later this month.