What to make of the lavish feasts that come after a funeral? When I attended my first funeral, at age 27, I cried a lot, even though I didn’t know the deceased, my sister-in-law’s father. My grandparents all died before I turned 20 and lived 1250 miles away. Living as my family did on a … More Foods for a Funeral and a Farewell
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye, What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie? ~ John Greenleaf Whittier, “The Pumpkin,” 1850 Some people moan and descend straight into mourning with the first frost. Not me. You’ll find me in my kitchen, with clanging pans and steaming windows, eager to put … More Ode to the Great Pumpkin [Pie]: Speak, Memory*
[A photograph and nothing more, for silent contemplation.]
You will eat, bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You’ll get pie in the sky when you die. ~~ Joe Hill*, “The Preacher and the Slave” chorus, 1911 Everybody knows what pie is, right? Wrong, and Janet Clarkson (The Old Foodie) tells us why in … More Pie in the Sky: A Review of Janet Clarkson’s “Pie: A Global History”
There’s No Place Like Home … ~~ Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz Kansas is flat, real flat. Yes. And President Barack Obama’s green leaf of choice, arugula, clocks in pretty low on Kansans’ list of comestibles. But none of this means that President Obama doesn’t love Kansas and especially its wholesome, comforting food. That said, … More In the Kitchen in Kansas … The Food of Obama’s Mother’s Childhood