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Mayberry Momma's™
Food for the Soul and Body
Preface
Food and philosophy were dished out in equal portions at the dinner table of my youth. Whenever I helped with the cooking process, Grandmother would not only instruct in the details of how the ingredients in the recipe fit together, but also took time to draw out of me any concerns that had come up in school that day, suggesting approaches that would most likely produce a better ending to the story.
When I think of the variety of food that Grandmother put on the table, and with such seeming ease, I am amazed. None of today's supposed time and energy saving appliances or gadgets were available to her in the 40's. A large wooden spoon was the utensil most used for "beating, folding, mixing," and a number of other cooking instructions. The metal handcranked eggbeater seemed to be saved for making "special" dishes. No rolls of aluminum foil existed, just trusty wax paper.
I really laughed when I recently saw a commercial touting a new and improved covering for a bowl of leftovers. It consisted of opaque plastic sewn to an elastic band. We thought that was dandy in the late '40's also. It was all we had. No Tupperware was available for our cupboards. An oilcloth tablecloth covered the metal kitchen table and, while we had graduated to an electric stove when I began to help with the cooking, I clearly remember the wood–burning stove of earlier years.
We made do with what we had. Many's the time I was given an empty cardboard Quaker Oats container with the instructions to cover it with a scrap of fabric (perhaps the remnant of a flour sack) so that it could be used for a new purpose. Recycle—you bet! Over and over again. "Waste not want not" was the constant motto.
During the school day I was taught readin', writin', and 'rithmetic. In the evenings my grandfather taught me caring and correct behavior. During the years he served as Justice of the Peace and US. Marshal he had seen a lot of people "go wrong," and as he spun his tales, he gently weaved in the instruction I needed to "do the right thing."
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Humorous speaker,
Jewell M. Kutzer, as the Mayberry Momma™
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Certainly hope you enjoy these servings of nourishment for both the soul and body. Sometimes it may be a particular dish that seems to be "soul satisfying." Then again, it may be the turn of a phrase that fills you up.
Eat Hearty!
Jewell M. Kutzer
The Mayberry Momma™
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