MUSINGS ON BEING GRANDMA

Time to get ready for St. Patrick's Day

When I see a reference to “grandma,” I tend to think of my own grandmothers rather than myself. I got excited the other day when I saw the blog title, “90 Recipes that Grandma Knew by Heart.” I know that my grandmothers cooked by heart – or maybe I would call it “by feel.” Whatever – they didn’t always follow a written recipe but just added this and that until the mix felt right. I search for my grandmothers through recipe history, so I wanted to see that article. I opened the blog and began to read.

“Wait a minute,” I said to myself. “These aren’t my grandmothers’ recipes. These aren’t even my mother’s recipes. These are MY recipes!” Hence, once again I am startled by the fact that I am indeed “Grandma.” In fact, it would not be out of the question for me to be “Great-Grandma.”

I will say, though, that my mother (1909-1997) mostly referred to written recipes when she cooked. She was more scientific about her cooking, whereas my grandmothers, born a generation or more earlier, cooked as they were shown by their mothers. I say that, but my Grandfather Portfors said that he taught Grandma everything she knew about cooking.

Another comparison that startles me is “dress your doll like Grandma when she was young,” and the patterns are from the ‘80s. It’s not unreasonable that today’s grandmother was young in the ‘80s, but it makes me think twice. And my dolls aren’t interested. They prefer outfits reflective of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s.  

I wonder if our grandson Silas will have fond memories of my cooking. Maybe not. His mother still makes sure his food is age appropriate, and he doesn’t miss meals. He doesn’t even miss snacks! “Mmm-mmm-mmm,” he says, as he munches a healthy muffin or bits of fruit.

And when family visits these days, cooking seems to be a community effort rather than a meal prepared by “Grandma.” Mike grills. Hallie and Nick make soups and chili. Murray and Clint also contribute.

A favorite memory is of stepsons Murray and Yancey making fresh salsa with tomatoes from my garden. They worked together adding a bit of this and that, then tasting until they deemed it just right, never saying a word. It was such good salsa! KW