Personal Narrative: A Family Tradition
David H
Dr. Friedman
EH 102-19
01/23/2014
A Family Tradition
During my early twenties, I developed a passion for cooking. The deeper I delved into the art of cooking quality food, the more I realized the amalgamating properties it held. Little did I know, this hobby was something my new wife Jenn and I did not share. The first indication that there might be a problem in the kitchen occurred with a simple request one evening after work: “Honey, I would like some bacon,” I said.
To my astonishment, my bride declared, “I don’t know how to cook bacon, I don’t even like bacon!”
I knew this woman for seven years—my high school sweetheart—and I never knew she didn’t like bacon. “Who doesn’t like bacon anyway? …show more content…
She has a rotation of three to four meals that come from a can or a package. Hamburger Helper was commonplace growing up in that house. A simple meal such as spaghetti is a botched experiment in “homemade cooking.” Her recipe consists of un-doctored, canned sauce poured onto over-cooked, mushy noodles, that she stirs the entire time they are boiling. Sometimes, she’ll even add a couple of frozen meatballs from a bag. To our delight, most of our meals with the mother-in-law take place in a restaurant, where it’s safe. We are able to enjoy the occasion of food and family, while actually being able to stomach the food. It is the aforementioned reasons that my wife could not cook when we first got married; she simply was not taught or even exposed to the practice of cooking. She was also rather close-minded when it came to new things. After-all, Hamburger Helper only came in so many varieties. It was up to me to change all this—to teach her to cook, and open her mind to new …show more content…
My dad, now an engineer, was once the chef at a local restaurant in our hometown of Marion, Illinois. He imparted in me an appreciation for real food, and dispelled the myth in my mind, that “mom” was responsible for putting dinner on the table. Years later, dad is a still a major influence in my relationship with food, which in turn strengthens my relationship with him. For the past ten years, going to dad’s house for Sunday dinner has been tradition—first me, then my wife, and now our three children. Dad and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on certain things, but there is an emulsifying, unifying power that quality food possesses, that helped heal our relationship. Even before the modern days of Sunday dinner began, my dad was my inspiration to learn to cook, and I aspire to be the same for my
Dr. Friedman
EH 102-19
01/23/2014
A Family Tradition
During my early twenties, I developed a passion for cooking. The deeper I delved into the art of cooking quality food, the more I realized the amalgamating properties it held. Little did I know, this hobby was something my new wife Jenn and I did not share. The first indication that there might be a problem in the kitchen occurred with a simple request one evening after work: “Honey, I would like some bacon,” I said.
To my astonishment, my bride declared, “I don’t know how to cook bacon, I don’t even like bacon!”
I knew this woman for seven years—my high school sweetheart—and I never knew she didn’t like bacon. “Who doesn’t like bacon anyway? …show more content…
She has a rotation of three to four meals that come from a can or a package. Hamburger Helper was commonplace growing up in that house. A simple meal such as spaghetti is a botched experiment in “homemade cooking.” Her recipe consists of un-doctored, canned sauce poured onto over-cooked, mushy noodles, that she stirs the entire time they are boiling. Sometimes, she’ll even add a couple of frozen meatballs from a bag. To our delight, most of our meals with the mother-in-law take place in a restaurant, where it’s safe. We are able to enjoy the occasion of food and family, while actually being able to stomach the food. It is the aforementioned reasons that my wife could not cook when we first got married; she simply was not taught or even exposed to the practice of cooking. She was also rather close-minded when it came to new things. After-all, Hamburger Helper only came in so many varieties. It was up to me to change all this—to teach her to cook, and open her mind to new …show more content…
My dad, now an engineer, was once the chef at a local restaurant in our hometown of Marion, Illinois. He imparted in me an appreciation for real food, and dispelled the myth in my mind, that “mom” was responsible for putting dinner on the table. Years later, dad is a still a major influence in my relationship with food, which in turn strengthens my relationship with him. For the past ten years, going to dad’s house for Sunday dinner has been tradition—first me, then my wife, and now our three children. Dad and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on certain things, but there is an emulsifying, unifying power that quality food possesses, that helped heal our relationship. Even before the modern days of Sunday dinner began, my dad was my inspiration to learn to cook, and I aspire to be the same for my