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Memorable Encounters with New Foods
Fall is harvest time, so I am reminded of foods and their importance in our lives. My readers may not know that I am a retired Food Scientist and Registered Dietitian. My career choices were heavily influenced by my interest in foods and nutrition. I grew up eating an organic “American” diet. It was organic because that was the way food was produced until the second half of the 20th Century. We ate home grown chickens, eggs, milk, beef, pork, the products of my Mom’s garden augmented by purchased apples, grapes, peaches, melons in season, dried pinto beans, flour, corn meal, spices, sugar and coffee. My Dad’s contribution was game and fish. The result was balanced and healthful diet that had been common for generations and was still followed in the Ozark Mountain culture of my youth.
As I grew older, I began to learn about new foods and
expanded my dietary experiences. Some I adopted and some I vowed to
never touch again.
I vividly remember my first encounter with pizza. I was 13
years old and visiting a dear friend, Judy R. in Oklahoma. One night we
drove to Oklahoma City for dinner. My first slice tasted like heaven on a
plate. It was absolutely delicious and so different from anything I had
ever eaten before. I still love pizza and am still in touch with Judy.
Some things in life are worth continuing.
My brother introduced us to Spaghetti Bolognese (we called it
spaghetti with meat sauce, having no idea how to pronounce Bolognese).
Bill’s college roommate was an Italian boy from St. Louis who shared his
mama’s recipe. It was my “go to” company dish for years.
Later, Joyce, my new sister-in-law introduced me to tacos.
Mmm. So good and so much fun to assemble to my taste. They are still a
favorite.
While working as a waitress at Ginger Blue (a local resort) I
discovered Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy. Not a promising sounding
recipe, but a fried ham steak swimming in a sauce made from the
drippings and hot coffee is quite good. I haven’t eaten it since but
remember it well.
I moved to Minnesota as a young wife and learned about
Lutefisk. It is a popular addition to Christmas menus in some
restaurants. A Swedish colleague insisted I try it. We went to a nearby
high-end restaurant and ordered it. First of all, I should have been
suspicious when I learned it was codfish treated with lye, dried and
finally reconstituted for cooking. The result was a fishy tasting
translucent gel served with boiled potatoes. My friend said it was
“almost as good as her grandmother’s”. I marked it off my list of
“things to try”.
Another menu item I found unpleasant was raw oysters. I had
my first one in the New Orleans French Quarter where they are very
popular. I ate one. It reminded me of having a very bad cold. Twenty
years later, I decided perhaps I had been hasty and tried another. It
confirmed my original conclusion.
On the plus side, New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey
Sauce is a keeper. I tried it at several restaurants and the one at the
Bon Ton Café on Magazine was the best by far. (Once the pudding was a
way of using up the French bread returned from tables, but the Health
Department took a dim view of that, so now it is made from scratch).
They willingly share the recipe. The waitress whispered “Honey, the
secret is cheap bourbon”.
A vacation to the Wisconsin Door Peninsula was memorable due
to our dining at a Fish Boil. It sounds dreadful, but it is a literal
description of the outdoor preparation of white fish in a huge black
cauldron. The big finish is tossing some kerosine on the fire so the
cooking water overflows carrying away the fishy tasting oils. The meal
is served on cafeteria trays with boiled potatoes, green beans, cherry
pie and a roll. All I can say is I ate it and have no need to repeat the
experience. It was dramatic, I’ll admit.
While living in New Jersey, my husband and I went to a fancy
French restaurant. (Other than Filet Mignon, it is a mystery to me why
the French treasure foods that I regard as offal. Liver and Sweet Breads
are heavily featured, for example. I decided to try the Lapin. My mom
had prepared fried rabbit, so I thought it would be good. When the
whole naked rabbit covered with a thin sauce arrived, my appetite
disappeared. I won’t repeat what it reminded me of. I will say their
desserts garnished with spun sugar were delicious.
To end on a pleasant note, I discovered ginger ice cream in
China Town in San Francisco. I still remember its creamy, tangy taste
some 50 years later.
Now I eat an organic diet whenever possible. It is no
surprise that it is more expensive because it has become desirable to
those who see value in keeping their diet as simple as possible.
Does anyone know where I can get an organic pizza?
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