Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Food from a Younger Land

I started reading this book "Food from a Younger Land" last night that I think is really interesting. It includes pieces that supposed to be printed in a book called "America Eats" in 1940. It details recipes and therefore cultural regional food interests in the time. I started reading it because I thought I could look at how different how eating has become over the past century. However, once I started reading it I started thinking about Thanksgiving. This year I will host Thanksgiving for the first time. For the previous 34 years I have probably spent 32 of them in my parents home or with my close family.

Big things are afoot in the family Johnson so we will be home this year. I started planning my meal and thinking about tradition. How food is passed on and is part of our rich cultural heritage. And how I probably won't make anything exactly like my family made it.

Isn't that strange? I am making a traditional meal for my family and won't bring any traditions along with it. But then think - we live in a society that presses us to "get over our" childhoods. The things our parents did to us to cause our issues and please get on some drugs.

When did the past become something to get over? I think I'll have to do something in that case. Perhaps it pumpkin pie for my Papaw (I was thinking about pecan instead) or weirdly foiled chocolate turkeys for my mom :). Or maybe, I'll continue my mom's tradition of making something brand new and throwing it in there for fun!

I am all for starting new traditions with my family. But they have to come from somewhere if they are going to have any meaning.

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