Brian Teasdale
Eng 121-023
Food Blog-Final draft
Oct. 10, 2010
Eng 121-023
Food Blog-Final draft
Oct. 10, 2010
Traditions of the Past (Final draft)
When I think of food, it reminds me of the family traditions that I partook in as a child. In particular, Christmas comes to mind. As a boy I grew up in Kansas, part of a large family on my fathers’ side. He had six siblings-five brothers and a sister. Around the holidays, especially Christmas, all the family would gather at my grandparents’ house. My grandfather was a doctor who had his own family practice, which afforded them the opportunity to reside in a home that was quite large. My grandparents needed that space to raise and house such an extended family. Since I was much younger at the time, I remember how excited I would be when I found out that we were going to visit my grandparents. To me the house was a castle with all of these rooms and cubbies to explore, as well as all the treasures that were waiting to be found in the large barn out back.
After playing with all of my nieces, nephews, and cousins, we would all be called to gather around the feast that was prepared for us. On average there were to my recollection ,about forty to fifty of us in attendance for the annual family Christmas meal. Several large tables were set with all the trimmings of fine dining for the adults, while the younger generations gathered ourselves around several smaller, less decorated and glorified tables (a card table is always a card table).The main room was always decorated with holiday trimmings, and a huge tree in the corner as bright as the sun, glistening with all its festive ornaments and lights. Nestled underneath the tree was an array of presents, in various sizes and shapes.
The gifts would have to wait, as there was a definite order to be followed on this day. The display of food seemed to resemble a well organized assembly line to me. There were so many choices of food to eat; you couldn’t possibly fit all that you wanted on your plate. First was the meat, which usually consisted of turkey, a honey glazed ham, and some game bird (pheasant or quail). Next were the fillers such as mashed potatoes (real), stuffing, green bean casserole, pasta salads, and fresh rolls. The table was then set with the veggies such as candied yams, mixed vegetables, carrots, and even some Brussels sprouts. The last area was one of my favorites, sitting there in all their glory was the fruit Jell-O, mixed fruit salads, and vanilla wafer pudding. After eating our main courses, the desert spreads would be laid out. This consisted of just about every fruit pie imaginable, peach, cherry, apple, strawberry, and of course cookies. Desert was my favorite part of the meal. I would load up on several pieces of pie, and an assortment of goodies including, oatmeal, chocolate chip, sugar cookies and no bake cookies.
The no bakes were my favorite cookie .My mother would bring those to the gathering each year. Growing up she always made them for our family and, to this day they are my all time favorite treat. I make them myself once in awhile, but they are never as good as my moms. They are made of oatmeal, chocolate and other ingredients and require no baking. These are pretty easy cookies to make, and they are mouth watering morsels of delight. After every one had finished eating, we would all gather in the main room, around the tree and wait not so patiently for the gifts to be handed out. The gift giving would usually take quite a bit of time. After we received our presents, the children would run off, and the adults would be left with a huge mess. We would go back outside and play tennis, shuffleboard, or hide and seek games weather permitting. If it was cold and snowy, our play would turn to winter activities of snowball fights and building igloos.
Unfortunately, time passes quickly, and traditions that I remember fondly have changed. In the past ten years, I have lost my father and grandparents, and our family has spread out to different areas of the country. We never have family gatherings like those of my childhood. It seems, as we have all grown up and gotten older, each part of the family has started their own traditions. We never see each other, except for events that you don’t want to particularly occur, such as a death in the family. It makes me a little sad to see how life has changed over the years with regards to the sense of family unity (the gathering of our large clan). Now each Christmas, I travel with my wife and daughter to the small town of Newton, Kansas to spend the holiday with my mother. The huge assembly line of food has been replaced by a smaller more intimate dinner, which is fulfilling all the same. The turkey and ham is still plentiful, as well as a selection of veggies and casseroles, but the best tradition continues, my moms NO BAKE COOKIES!
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