Archive for July, 2010

” We write with trepidation. How shall we tell our fellow Americans that our palates have been ravaged, that our food is awful, and that our most respected authorities on cookery are poseurs?”

John L. Hess & Karen Hess, 1977

The summer of 2010 is strolling along and for the next 365 days I’d like to take a peek into food and flavor, spices, herbs all the little secrets that make food taste divine including the idea of farm fresh when ever possible.

Recently I have found myself becoming sick and tired of being sick and tired of chain restaurants that supply god awful food. The quality of what we are eating is getting worse and although few will say it, the taste is just plain lousy. If you live in a major city flooded with superior eateries, wonderful, but if you are in mainstream America, you may find yourself surrounded by fast food, regional chain restaurants and little else.

The few mom and pop places that are featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives are just that, few and far between. What would it take to re-educate the American palate and brain so that what we  enjoy is not only delicious but healthy, or is that an oxymoron?

Once upon a time there was a little child who loved his mother very much. Mom and dad worked very hard to provide “little man” with everything he needed and most of the things he wanted. One day it was discovered that mom was going to have a baby; twins to be exact. This made “little man” very happy. When the babies arrived home, a very interesting thing happened. Mom decided to stay home with the babies until they got bigger. This made “little man” really, really happy. He had his Mom and sister and brother home when he arrived from school each day.

One day “little man” explained to his teacher that he was just so happy his Mom was home with the babies because she now prepares a “feast.” The child went on to say, “Mom is cooking us dinner at home, she made a chicken in-the-oven, and green bean casserole, rolls, and a pie and we are so happy.”

So why was the child so happy? This little story is true and was provided by a teacher in a public school system in the south. It was reported that most of the children in the school eat out for dinner every night, rarely getting a home cooked meal. And we wonder why our children are obese, diabetes is on the rise and our little ones suffer from all sorts of allergies, headaches and insomnia?

I will continue to say it until I am blue in the face. Get back to the basics! Get back to the basics! Get back to the basics! Please parents, understand that it starts with you. Don’t talk about how busy you are, just learn a few great recipes or better yet take a cooking class.

Did you see the movie Twilight? Remember the Collins family all together cooking for Bella; and they didn’t even eat human food. Okay, I probably shouldn’t have gone there, but you know what I mean!