A Grandmother's Love of Food

I love food. And I come by it honestly.

My dad loves food.

His mom, my Ganny, loved food.

My earliest memory of Ganny is sitting at her kitchen table and watching her cook. She would turn off her hearing aids and enter into her own world. She didn't need a recipe, but used her knowledge and experience to feed the ones she loved. The pork chops would sizzle in the cast iron pan, while the green beans, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes boiled in silver pots. She loved tomatoes fresh from the vine and her warm potato salad was a crowd favorite. Her fruit cobblers were eaten as soon as they came out of the oven and always changed depending on the season.

While I would color or listen to music, she would motion to me occasionally to watch her do something, hoping I would learn. She would pass me a spoon to taste and quiz me on what additions might be made.

I learned many lessons from Ganny in the kitchen:

• Don't waste food

• Always improvise

• Any dish can be salvaged

• Know your foundational skills

• Enjoy your food!

I am confident cooking in the kitchen. I can pull together a meal using anything in the refrigerator and pantry. I know the basics. I can remedy anything - and yes, we eat lots of leftovers! But the best feeling is when everyone at the table is happy and full.

Ganny cooked and washed dishes for decades for her husband and four boys. She continued to do the same for grandchildren, often three times a day when we visited for summer vacation. She did love to go out to eat: what a wonderful break! She ate her food with pleasure and acumen and nothing made her happier than a delicious meal.

We celebrated her life together on Zoom almost two months ago. I still miss her greatly. On the day of her service, I baked a tea cake using Earl Grey, her favorite. Not a day went by when she didn't have several cups of hot tea. The cake was a new recipe to me, but I trusted in everything she had taught me...And nothing seemed more perfect for the day than to bake and eat delicious food in her honor!

I love you, Ganny!