-
Tasty Ways for a New Year Reset
The big winter feasts are done, and now, many of us are readjusting what we eat. After a month’s worth of rich food and sweet desserts, not to mention three batches of Christmas cookies (thank you, Mrs. Farmboy), it’s time…
-
Long-Life Noodles for Health and Good Fortune
In this part of the world, when it gets dark early and holiday celebrating is pretty much done, we all could use a little levity and good luck as the new year begins. In fact, civilizations all over the world…
-
The Many Traditions of Midwinter Feasts
During my lifetime, this has always been the season for the ultimate feast. When I was growing up, we met at my grandmother’s house for a huge family meal with ham and turkey or goose, side dishes of vegetables and…
-
Breakfast for Dinner
Many of us have made major adjustments to our consumption in recent years for a variety of reasons – environmental responsibility, health, tastes, even the ready availability of different ingredients. That’s led me to think about how my habits have…
-
More Than a Kernel of Flavor from Whole Grains
I used to love the time of the oat harvest in the late summer. When I surveyed the 30 or so acres of near-ripe grain in a summer breeze, I could see the rolling waves, just like the ocean. And…
-
Taking a Chance on Spam
Some of my readers will say piffle at the suggestion of Spam. But before your knee jerks, hear me out. It’s time to take a second look (or taste) at Spam. Yes, that canned meat first marketed in 1937 and…
-
Whatever Happened to Pudding?
I’d like to know: what happened to pudding? Especially in the 1950s, thanks to good old Jell-O, our pantry was well-stocked with vanilla and chocolate pudding boxes. And when our local grade school began providing hot lunches, I would look…
-
Emulating Indigenous People in Giving Thanks
We’re about to partake in Thanksgiving, an annual event that typically involves a traditional collection of relatives and people you know together with a turkey, a lot of food, and occasional overeating. For some, it’s not Thanksgiving without a communal…
-
Rethinking Thanksgiving Turkey
As we come upon Thanksgiving, I find myself asking: “Why turkey?” After all, the traditional feast was built around mythology; authentic records don’t exist. Historians actually surmise that the 1621 colonists viewed the large birds as hard to prepare. Hmmm.…
-
Egg Creams, Black Cows, and Other Local Whistle Whetters
Have you ever traveled to a different part of the world and come across an unfamiliar drink, especially one that the locals have given an unusual name? Maybe that’s what caught your eye. That’s what happened when I asked for…
