Those old stand-bys
March 8, 2010
Although I admit to a bias against chain letters, one that arrived recently broke through my prejudices. It asked for a recipe – the simple kind that you know by heart; the standard meal that you make without thinking.
The letter asked you to send such a recipe to the top name on the list and forward the letter on to your friends. You would then receive many other tried and true answers to the eternal question of what to make for dinner.
The assortment of recipes I received was fascinating. What a variety in the homes of friends-of-my-friends! A never-touch-it dish in one house could be comfort food in another. Cooking skills, nutritional concerns, ethnic backgrounds – it seemed that all these helped determine our no-brainer meals.
We all depend on a few favorites. We know we can turn them out quickly and easily and that, no matter how many times we eat them, they always taste good. If we are lucky, they are sort of like our families. No matter how often we sit down with the same cast of characters, we are happy to see those faces – familiar, warm, delicious.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
