I am participating (selectively) in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks program of prompts to help you with writing about genealogy and ancestors. The prompt for Week 5 (February 1-7) is “In the Kitchen.”
When I ponder this week’s prompt, “In the Kitchen,” I think back to Grandma Doris. Every Sunday, the family gathered at her house for Sunday lunch. We also gathered around “In the Kitchen” during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Sunday Lunch
At Sunday lunch the children loaded their plates first and headed to the living room, bedrooms, or back porch to eat. Then, the menfolk would sit to eat, followed by the ladies. All the while, Gran would refill tea glasses and ask if everyone had had enough.
Plates would overflow with fried chicken, string beans and corn, mashed potatoes, squash, fresh tomatoes, and always a fresh-cooked biscuit. Often the Aunts and Uncles also fixed dishes to share.
After lunch, the adults sat around in the living room and caught up on all the family news and gossip, while the children played outside…Hide and Seek, Mother-May-I, Red Rover, Mr. Spider, Freeze Tag, and a host of other games. Sometimes we walked down the path through the 100 acres of woods behind Gran’s to visit the “Deer Pond” or pick up long-leaf pine cones to make decorations.
Holiday Lunches
Christmas and Thanksgiving were like Sunday lunches, just more food and more desserts…pies, cakes, cookies, fudge, candies, and myriad other goodies. Usually one of the Aunts or Mom cooked the turkey, Uncle Donald cooked the ham (he still does). Mom fixed the gravy until she died, then I picked up the torch and fix it both holidays.
One year mom cooked the turkey, I can’t remember if it was Christmas or Thanksgiving. She was running a little behind, so she grabbed the roasting pan from the oven, and we rushed to Gran’s to slice it. When we got to Gran’s and took the bird from the roaster, mom yelled, “What is that??!!” We found the sink stopper stuck to the turkey’s back! When preparing the turkey to cook, she washed and seasoned the bird in the sink. She then picked it up and placed it in the pan. She hadn’t realized the sink stopper had stuck to the turkey and cooked it right along with the bird!
Holiday meals compared to Sunday Lunch, except the overloaded table forced everyone to find a place to eat, not just the children. If the weather cooperated, some found a place at the picnic table, or in chairs moved to the back porch. It the weather didn’t cooperate, children huddled in the back bedroom near the heater, while the adults ate in the living room near the heater.
Mom and Gran have both passed on, but Sunday Lunch still happens at Aunt Marilyn’s, who now owns Gran’s house. Aunt Marilyn also hosts Thanksgiving lunch, but Christmas lunch has moved to Uncle Donald’s and his large building.
I could write more, but I think I’ll save those stories for another day.