What's for Supper

The Simpson boys are swapping the cooking chores in Welch. Each of us has his own specialties. The Old Goat is a master of cheap-ass frozen pizza. Tinker enjoys the lavish Sunday dinner with all sorts of fried dishes. My niche is to introduce "new" food to the mix. This week I served up a shocking dish -- sweet and sour pork. The Old Goat and Tinker sniffed around the edges for a while beforing deciding it was worthy of tasting. The next night, I wheeled out Costa Rican black beans and chicken. It was met with the same hesitation. What saved both dishes was Left-Over Wednesday. That is the day we clean out our refrigerators of all the scraps left from meals of the previous suppers. Both the sweet and sour pork and the black beans and chicken improve after sitting in the frig for a couple of days. The Old Goat and Tinker devoured both. I have to admit that they were delicious, so much so that both are now in the culinary rotation. As a vote of confidence, I have the cooking duties for Sunday. We are really climbing out on a limb -- lasagna.

The ultimate compliment of a good dish is tthat it compared to something that the Blessed Saint Rebecca would prepare. Fact is, she was one hell of a cook. What seems inconsistent to me is that she was always trying out new recipes yet The Old Goat and Tinker balk when something different is introduced. I don't recall any of us ever picking over anything she served. To the contrary, growing up we never had Left-Over Wednesday. There were no left-overs. The food was always so tasty that it quickly disappeared at suppertime.

The Blessed Saint Rebecca's special call, though was funeral food. It was her ministry to be the provider of "food fo rthe family" after the loss of a father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, or child. Within hours of news of a death, the Blessed Saint would have The Old Goat drive her to the home of the departed, laden down with delicious food to sustain the grieving. She as legendary in our community for her special mission. People still talk of her Kraut Salad, her Corn and Bean Salad, her fried chicken, her au gratin potatoes, her fried pies, and especially her cakes. Once, one of her Red Velvet Cakes was auctioned off at the farmers' coop annual meeting for $50 -- a staggering amount for a cake in Welch. Ironically, when the Blessed Saint ascended to Heaven, the food for the family was primarily eaten out of a KFC bucket. Funerals in Welch have not been the same since she departed.