I don’t know about all of you, but most of our family memories revolve around food. Certain dishes, certain appetizers, certain drinks are central to many of the memories we share as a family. Growing up, the food was so different from what we consume now. Both at the family level, but also what was available at the grocery store. For example, I don’t think there were more than one or two choices of salsa at the store. Now there are 20 or more at any given time. It’s a common appetizer to serve at any type of function. My dream is that one day beer cheese is thought of the same way!
My parents were from northwest Ohio. The meals they grew up with and then what they served me and my brothers was mostly a meat and potato type of food. Flavor was more bland. The emphasis was on the meat-starch-veggie and fruit. There are lots of “odd” food memories that pop up from time to time. One of the funniest, was my mom trying to get us to eat more vegtables. She pureed carrots in our mashed potatoes. This creates ORANGE mashed potatoes! Can you imagine? Mom also liked to put fruit in our jello. Of course that made it “healthy”.
With my own children, we had so many “Food Traditions” as we like to call them. Every Christmas morning there were orange rolls. Every Thanksgiving we had Nana’s mandarin orange jello. Going to stay at Nana’s house meant Life Cereal. Summer breakfast at the lake had to be poppy eggs and bacon. As my kids have gotten older, some of the traditions have been replaced with new ones. And I suspect that once they have their own kids we will start even more new food traditions.
Some people might say that serving Kentucky Beer Cheese at their football tailgate is a tradition. Some people tell me that whenever they go to visit family outside of Kentucky, that they HAVE to bring Kentucky Beer Cheese with them. Most Kentuckians will tell you, beer cheese, ale -8 and bourbon are our staples!
As I have gotten older, I have tried to eat more seasonally. Currently I am planning a summer garden. It is not a big garden. I love the idea of growing my own food. It always sounds good in the spring. But in the heat of summer my enthusiasm seems to fade. Maybe this year will be different. I am looking forward to fresh strawberries, cantaloupe and watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, and kale.
Whatever your family food traditions may be, it really is about spending time with the ones we love. As spring turns to summer, I hope we all enjoy the sunshine, the fresh fruit and vegetables that nature provides, and always time with friends and family. And of course, don’t forget to include Kentucky Beer Cheese in all your summer activities!
