I have lived in plenty and less. About 2 years ago i became a ” food pantry” user as a primary means of feeding a large family. This is a far different way of living than what is the norm in america, the way I have always known. I have found some beauty in this new way of providing food for my family.
I grew up learning to cook from my mother and grandmother, a treasure like no other. My mother is a gifted and passionate cook and hospitality person. If you told me today that 100 dignitaries were coming to my home, i could serve a fine and delicious meal with ease, no recipe to read. With mom i made pierogoes (polish) hand rolled dough, golumpki (meat and rice stuffed cabbage in a tasty tomato based broth), baked goods finer than all bakeries, creamy mashed potatoes. i learned all the how to’s from folding batter to frying – which pans and oils are best…..i could go on and on and write books and books. My German grandma grew some of her own herbs and veggies. Every summer i would spend in her Iowa home learning to garden, harvest, can, cook and serve meals. I recall setting the table for casual lunches, every one of them had pickles, green onions and salt, home grown fresh radishes and celery served in a glass dish for visiting friends and family; hence my knowledge of gardening and canning. In Girl Scouts i learned to cook on a fire and dad taught me to catch and debone a fish-a skill i never practiced!
As a young married (20 yrs old), I steeped myself in additional know how that would please my new husband. The church women and pot lucks were a great source of tips, tricks and ways to cook for 50. I was given as a gift the must have book: Joy of Cooking. I learned some fancy tips from the chefs i worked with while waitressing us through school, and simple practice added all the more to my cooking skills. Knowing that my wonderful heritage was not as healthy as others i taught myself how to take all that i knew and make it healthy for my family, never throw the baby out with the bathwater, you know. I added kids to my repotiore which taught me how to multitask in our very hospitable home. Hence my system:
1.Plan specific meals for the week or so, meals that your family likes and is healthy. maybe read for new recipes.2. go out an find needed ingredients. 3.cook. nothing bad, its what we all do.
————–Here is what I want- go get it ———————–
Well, life changes, and this can be good lest we become barnacled to things that will inhibit our growth. A couple years ago i began using and working in a food pantry that we now call a Food Share. I have yet learned a whole new way of cooking, living and eating:
——–Here is what I have been given-what can i make of it?————
The food share is “garbage” or leftovers-items that stores are going to throw away. We pick up bags of unsorted non saleable foods, one day away from expire date or damaged in some way. Good foods, meats-produce-dairy-breads-cereals. We sort through mushy bananas and throw away moldy stuff. It is amazing what we throw away here in the suburbs. Dented boxes make items into garbage. High costs dont help, i dont pay full price for smashed bread when the loaf behind it is perfect.
We who use food shares have traded grocery shopping for ‘donation picking’, a whole new mindset actually. We create from what has been given. We make use of what no one else wants, leftovers.
It breeds gratefulness-
It challenges creativity !-
It is sustainable living-
It is adventurous-
It connects us with the way most of the world eats,
++++++++and maybe the way we were created to be?-
It brings us back to a correct definition of food-
It brings us back to a correct definition of sharing & community-
It removes us from american marketing-
It relieves us from the excessive buffet of choices we must sort through
It teaches us what we DONT need
It make us learn to like new foods-
Is is not wasteful
It takes my mind from thought of wanting to being satisfied with less-
it is hard satisfying work-
It is simple.
I will most likely write a cookbook oneday
I love my heritage, cooking fine meals, and yes, ill take the leftovers. ……..
Tags: change, mindset, neighborhood
