Food Memories/Food Nostalgia?

I am waiting for something which was supposed to be today’s post but it’s not here. So, a different direction.

Anyway, Saturday (Valentine’s Day for those who mark it) was our first really nice (ie, fully sunny and dry) day since last year. In fact, it has rained every day since the turn of the year and it’s raining today (Sunday) yet again as I finish up this post. To say I am sad and fed up is an understatement. Pitter pat, split splat, drip drip drip. If you need some of our wet you are welcome to it.

But, food. I had a back and forth with a friend for whom health issues have caused a change in diet but who still feels very nostalgic for certain things that stood out of her childhood diet as actually pleasurable. And that set me off thinking about foods we were given in child/teen hood vs things we eat now.

I expect for most of us the mother did most or all the cooking. That’s certainly the case for me and while I grew up in suburban Philadelphi and New York my mother lived in Germany till she was 13 and that informed the food she served and her attitudes towards it.

Just to say I no longer eat much of that type of food. I am happily nostalgic for some things and others make me feel a bit ill when I think of them.

On the former, she served fruit as a starter for evening meals. Usually a half a grapefruit (with the segments sort of dug through with a crazy looking grapefruit knife) or a slice of melon when it was in season. I even have vague memories of fruit cocktail in syrup from a can but I may be imagining that.

The main part of dinner was made up of protein, veg and starch – tending towards a dryish lamb or pork chop, veal parmigiana, sometimes boiled potatoes (never fries) and every once in a while these pan fried potats with onions which she made really well, more often white rice, and veg from a can or frozen (green beans, peas, maybe carrots). We did not generally do dessert. To mix things up sometimes there was lasagna.

She did not enjoy cooking but appeared to feel it was her duty. She was very modern for her time – there were only a few years early in childhood when she stayed home. She ‘wanted’ to work.

Oh, and she made devilled eggs, which my brother liked but made me ill to even see. She made the mistake of making me eat one once. That did not go well (very messy) and she never tried it again. Still don’t eat them.

My father had specialties which tended to come out on Saturday evenings: pirogies (Eastern European dumplings filled with stuff – his faves were the potato) with apple sauce or soured cream, soft pretzels after he found a recipe (which we had with tuna salad), even pizza using a pizza stones he found somewhere.

So, nostalgia … The pretzels and pizza are some of my happiest childhood food memories. And the pirogies. I still make my mother’s flourless (ground almonds) chocolate cake. Eat a lot of different fruit and veg. And I’m pleased I came out of childhood liking onions, garlic and spices.

Things that got divested … I haven’t touched veal or lamb since my 20s, don’t enjoy lasagna much, and got shot of the notion that dessert is always bad. I eat a lot more fish than we did when I was a kid. I have never ever touched devilled eggs again.

Oh, and we were definitely not members of the clean plate club. If you didn’t finish, fine – it went into the fridge for another time. She did not believe in forced consumption (except devilled eggs).

So does this get your brain going regarding your food upbringing? Any supreme hates and favourites you brought along into adulthood? Is there something you will never ever touch again?

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