Building My Tastes

I have never heard of a family food tree, and I don't think my family has one. I'm sure if I ask my elders, they could tell me what kind of dishes have been in our family for generations, but I never have had that type of curiosity. My family members do prepare certain dishes. Also, we gather for different occasions to eat and socialize.

There is, of course, the obvious gather times in which we eat. These times are events such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. I am not religious, but I guess my family gathers due to religious beliefs, as most families do. During the major holidays such as these, my mother does most of the cooking. Everyone shoes up with a dish, but my mom will show up with a car load of dishes. Pot after pot, pan after pan, she single-handedly makes sure everyone will have enough to eat, and that there is variety for everyone. Her dishes ranged from homemade chicken and noodles to baked beans to cakes and pies. My other family members have great dishes as well. My aunt Debby has a very delicious baked mashed potato dish. The potatoes seem to just slide down my throat. The red velvet cake that my aunt Janet makes is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever had. If you have never had a good red velvet cake, you are missing out on a fine portion of life. Her cake was a firm sponge topped with the smoothest and creamiest sweetness there is. It is way too easy to over eat dessert when her cake is present.

Explained so far was just my mother's side of the family. My father's side of the family is a bit different. We usually gather only to socialize and "catch-up". I rarely see my father, aunt Barb, and grandpa McGrew. Usually, I get to see my grandpa when he is off the road. He is a truck driver, and travels from Florida to Canada. When he is in town, my father usually brings him to Evansville to visit. We used to just gather at a pizzeria or any other type of restaurant to talk and eat. Pizza was usually the food of choice, because it was my brother's and my favorite. However, now that my aunt Barb is married and lives in Evansville, we usually meet at her house to visit, have fun and eat.

Aunt Barb prepares all the food. She is a great cook and has many dishes. Plus, uncle Jim usually grills up some sort of tender meat. It really does not matter what type of food it is, pasta or burgers or chicken, it is always something to look forward to. I am not really picky when it comes to food. I will eat what is put in front of me usually. Of all the nice dishes my aunt cooks up, my favorite is probably the simplest. When she cooks pigs in a blanket (hotdogs wrapped in biscuit dough), I am in love. A simple man with simple tastes is what I am I guess.

So, as far as a food tree goes, I don't know of one. However, each person in my family, who cooks, has certain dishes that they prepare. They prepare them for social gatherings or holidays. Food is a big part of my family's socializing, now that I really think about it.