Food That Takes Me Back to My Childhood
I was thrilled to read the article in the New York Times Dining section by Kim Severson, Turning to Cube Steak and back to Childhood. (Foods and Childhood Memories) Her headline did just that. Reading the article and hearing others tell their tales of cube steak were totally different from my own childhood. But I totally understand in these recessionary times we look for cuts of meats that are reasonably priced and lend them to feel like you are eating well.
Our family had cube steak at least every other week for some time. I am not sure how my mother discovered it. I do know that for a while I thought that she was serving us steak. The meal she made always had canned spinach heated with a bit of nutmeg and a fresh lemon squeezed on top and the cube steak with a fried egg on it. I cannot remember if my sister liked the spinach or not but I can tell you she did not like the cube steak. I think that is when she decided she did not like meat very much. I, of course loved it. The egg reminded me of schnitzel (breaded veal.) or lomo an Argentinean steak with egg served on it. As I said we ate this for a while regularly but later replaced it with turkey cutlets or chicken breast cutlets.
I considered myself pretty smart and look back at how dumb I was to even think that cube steak was steak. Which brings me to another childhood memory that came to the forefront last night as I ate at a steak restaurant celebrating a birthday. The restaurant was Pittsburgh Blue and I am not sure if there are any locations other then the one in Minneapolis. On the menu was a lettuce wedge. When I was a kid and you went to a nice restaurant that was the salad. One nice wedge of iceberg lettuce covered in Thousand Island dressing. I am sure it had no nutritional value but it might have been the only lettuce we ate in my home growing up.
As you can guess I ordered it. And with each bite it brought back smiles and memories of growing up.
I am sure that there are foods that you don’t eat today and one bite and you are six year old all over again. These memories can make great stories and these stories can be part of any cookbook.
Posted by Hella at 3/7/2009 6:57 PM 
Categories: Stories for your Memory Cookbook
Tags: recipes write your own cookbook cookbooks create a cookbook memory cookbooks
Categories: Stories for your Memory Cookbook
Tags: recipes write your own cookbook cookbooks create a cookbook memory cookbooks
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