I am a Better Cook than my Mother Was
Me
I enjoy cooking; my mother did not. She made a real effort to
see we ate well and the ingredients were always good but her heart and mind was
not in cooking.
She liked to work and had a job as an office manger with a
certified public account. She was also involved in politics, working on
campaigns for provincial, municipal and federal politics. This interest I
inherited from her.
Mom was instrumental in my first learning how to cook and then expanding upon that learning and developing dishes of my own.
When I complained about supper, usually something like fish
sticks, parsnips or squash, she wouldsay fine, you don't have to eat it but you do
have to make your own and a sandwich is not acceptable.
By the time I was 10, I often made supper on Saturday and
Sunday nights and frequently made lunch. Friday nights we had fish and chips
from Ollie Anne's on Browns Line; they were delicious.
When I moved out of the house, I frequently came home for
Sunday dinners and always cooked. The same would happen at special occasions,
birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and so on. We either went out or I cooked.
This allowed me to develop my ability and to experiment with
a captive audience.
Because mom worked, her mother, my nanny, moved in with us
when I was very young. I grew up with her being there when I’d come home form
school for lunch, we'd make lunch together.
It was during those lunches and after school when nanny
would get supper ready, I discovered spices and the secrets of soups and stews.
My mother did like to eat and could set a fine table and she
taught me how to appreciate food and that presentation did make a difference.
Neither my mom nor my nanny were particularly adventuresome
when it came to meals, meat, potatoes and vegetables were the norm. As I grew
older and became more curious about food possibilities I began to try different
foods and grew to appreciate the world of cookbooks and recipes; with the birth
of the Internet the possibilities began seemingly limitless.
Today, I am passionate about cooking with stir fries beginning a personal favourite but stews and soups not far behind and of course a hearty salad and a hefty sandwich still makes a great meal. Thanks mom for letting me explore.
