"You know, nobody can ever cook as good as your mama."
-- Paula Deen
 |
| Self portrait 6-12-14 |
"I'll take a double triple bossy deluxe, on a raft, four by four, animal style,
extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease.
Make it cry, burn it and let it swim."
-- Bubble Bass, Spongebob Squarepants, "Pickles"
I fed supper to the four people in my family at four separate times yesterday.
I fed Leo at 4:30 p.m. so he could get to a rehearsal.
I fed myself at 6 p.m. because, well, I was hungry and I was the only one here.
I fed Sam at 7:30 p.m. because he was out feverishly mowing three lawns before the rain came.
I fed my husband at 9 p.m. because he was out late working on a project that got delayed because the rain came.
Sometimes I feel like a short-order cook.
It seems like my kitchen never closes.
There are days when I'm still making somebody a snack or a sandwich at midnight.
I even make takeout and pack it up in brown bags when somebody's on the run and needs it to-go.
But what mom hasn't felt that way during the busy seasons of life when everybody is going in separate directions at separate times?
My own mother was a little less sympathetic. She used to bark: "I'm not running a restaurant! Eat when we all eat or don't eat at all!"
I'm not running a restaurant either, but I'd much rather feed my boys home cooking than abandon them to rely on junk food and drive-thru. On extra-busy days I try to make something they can all eat whenever their individual comings and goings permit. It's kinda like my "daily special." Yesterday's daily special, for instance, was meatloaf and cornbread. I cooked it early, kept it warm in the oven and served it up all night.
More often than not we do eat together as a family, even though it seems like somebody always has to leave the meal early and dash off to be someplace else.
I don't take it personally.
I just keep cooking and trying to do my best to make sure nobody goes away hungry.
I'll be here all night.
Don't forget to tip the waitress.
Order up!
