New York,Tike to think thatI have a good memory, especially for stories. I enjoy telling them and remembering how things unfolded. How do you remember things? What are your clearest memories? My most vivid memories ee ae brain with the recollection of how things tasted. I'm lucky to have grown up with cooks and bakers, eaters and critics, and meals to remember. My memories were formed in conjunction with my palate, collected along with photographs ‘of shared meals from my childhood. = Ina How couldT ever remember How canI yemember my first crush, without recalling the taste of the licorice rope we slung between our mouths, the marshmallow waiting in the middle for the winner? my childhood best friend, without bringing to mind the Sour taste of buttermilk, simultaneously guiped with- Out the benefit of being able to understand the packaging? Taking my vitamins in the mornirig reminds me of the Sweet, chalky taste of the jar of Flintstones I snuck, in an act of delicious medicinal rebellion, eaten like candy, inches from the television screen.Walking down the street of my neighborhood Sometimes it’s frustrating, this selective in Chicago, I pick up the smells of fresh memory. I can remember exactly the look and tortillas, slow-Cooking bratwurst, basil growing —_taste of a precious honey stick, balanced in @ nearby window box; each stimulates the between my berry-stained a taste recollection of a time, a trip, or a person. but my times tables are long gone, forgotten, = : in favor of better, tastier memories. The book you're reading contains a collection of my favorite stories, crammed with the taste-memoriés that draw them up through my mind from years ago.awe CSPICENE DS ez @SOMETIMES KNOWN AS CHAI! & (Nout een) THIS |S DELICIOUS STUFF—CAFFEINATED AND WARM (oR \CED!). THESE SPICES ARE GREAT, BUT THIS WILL WORK EVEN IF You DON'T HAVE ALL OF THEM, YANNIS V G e —————T RAVAN oe (FRESH OR DRIED) -3 CUPS WATER pot 23 He Stove ON ASIA Py ADD 2 BAGS oR A x DIFFUSER OF BLACK TEA AND LET IT HEAT UP. any FS (wer!) 2 MENNWHILE, GRATE oR CHOP ABOUT CRUSH 3 CARDAMOM PODS V2 TEASPOON OF GINGER. WITH THE SIDE OF A KNIFE. mae ONY GeenOne o TasyRTOSS IN: BEAN Stir WHILE IT J ANSE NAN en SIMMERS, UNTIL STAR @ aghe-8 (T HAS A SOUPY Te GRATED eC Top cons oe SA 5 GINGER, < SUALLY 5! fe. ss (osu “THE CRUSHED CARDAMOM G 0 “TReany FoR your wou ELL LIKE CHRISTY ZB LET CooL FoR AIT, @ THEN STRAIN IT 4 ADD MAPLE INTO A LIDDED GLASS Boe CONTAINER. (You caw Reuse AKA, ‘THE CINNAMON STICK LOT Ss AND VANILLA BEAN, BUT chuck THe REST OF THE STRAINED -OUT STUFF.) CAP AND REFRIGERATE TEA MIKTURE Pure OERIMIL FOR LATER USE (LASTS ABOUT A WEEK). @R MILK SuasriTuTE), (YOU CAN ALSO FREEZE IT FOR LONGER) ABOUT Y2 MILK, Ya TER MIXTURE & ee ay TEA = & Tf tHE MIX 1S STILL HOT, ITLL ec WARM THE MILK —TF NOT, NUKE (T! Pk ann oOCHAPTER L THE Kidl IN THE KitchenIwas a child raised by foodies. My parents probably don't recall how old I was at my baptism, but they remember what Tate that day. Poached salmon in cream KI) 1 couldn't have asked for a better godfather than a renowned After all, my family worships When Iwas seven, school There, on the dinosaur table, nothing So much as we do food, —_birthdays always meant while my classmates watched in and the trinity of cooking, cupcakes, but my mom awe, she caramelized Suna onan dining out, and eating, brought’a blowtorch! enormous creme tt For a time, Mom worked at the restaurant of DavidBouley, From my Spot on the floor, I could doing Flower arrangements and helping in the Kitchen for events. charm the waitstaff and Sous chefs. Back then, she could bring me, 50 I'd Spread out 1y Coloring books and sit while She cut lilies or prepped sauces My favorites, Were the truffle mice! (these are still made in NYC by Larry Burdick)We lived in a strange, old converted factory The former residents had split in a nasty divorce, in downtown Manhattan. prompting the furious wife to use olive oil to write “Fred Stell is @ drug addict and drag queen” in enormous letters on the brick of the kitchen wall. Every night, my dad and Iwould make the salad dressing There, Thad an excellent view of my for dinner: He would stand at the worn butcher block mother’s mysterious spice rack, in the kitchen, ahd boost me up on a chair. Lee S) ro Dad would pour out acapful of | Twould toss back my shot of We mixed the vinegar with Kressi vinegar and nandit to Vinegar like a hardened pro, Dijon, salt, olive oil, and a ‘me, careful not to spill. and Dad, grimacing, would clove of garlic that Dad would do the same Crush with the heel of his palm against the butcher block.Pete's store was a beautiful little place: pressed-tin ceilings, columns, and enormous barrels of olives and Cornichons, too high to reach on my own. =a a Quite a Few of them were in late-60s punk. rock bands, and often their art took priority over the running of the store Sorry, Pete We got a Around the corner from our apartment was my uncle Peter's shop. The Peter Dent Store was a little food Shop on N. Moore and Hudson, He sold an assortment of gourmet comestibles and homemade food. Pete employed a raggedy team of talented artists and rockers to Chef the kitchen. Pete's then-girlfriend did the flower arrangements. for many of the nice restaurants in New York. ‘remember watching her in the alley behind Pete's \utchen while she coated a selection of leaves with shining gold spray paint while singing alon ‘to Patti Smith on the kitchen’s rad E 10My uncle Peter was the one to first teach me about Peter took a netted bag of lumpy brown oysters. Tlove the way eating oysters (Sle consuming rocks, and showed me how to perform Cold iguid metal, the way Timagine the THOO0 robot from the sichemy to unlock ther secrets jould have tasted, but sattier. the Terminator w. Patiently, he showed me how to holdmy oyster ina nest of dish towel, and pry the butt of the oyster with the tip of my knife. When it reluctantly Opens, ‘Your triumph is carefully tempered by the effort not to spill the precious oyster brine. Tc takes too much muscle for me to have been ‘This ig tested at nearly every family gathering, much good at it when was younger. Butnow I when Peter andy shuck oysters until our hands can almost match Peter in his Speed and precision, are numb and our clothes smell like the ocean. (And Ive got the I think we Scars to prove my have enoush Years of practice.) oustMy mother’s friends, artists and chefs, would get together regularly to throw dinner parties where they’d try their hands at cooking Something new. Shelley Bors, a Ray Bradley, a farmer om who painter and chef, ad former chef who i Med acca tice eee iped torr the New and opened great ‘tchen: rk farm e at THe Garrison ana uhose dinners a | bed aid Crenkceasts hys beautifulupstate farm are legendary. “The other kids and Iwould run through the kitchen, usually in Some State of undress, while our parents and therr friends laid “the table with amazing things This tradition led to an annual Easter es The resulting meal is So enormous and delicious Every year at her house int Rhinebeck, NY, may that the party has occurred annually mother hosts this event, to which she invites her for over twenty years now. friends and colleagues, filling the house and yard with chefs, bakers, restauranteurs, and caterers. Early on, before the Easter party got The culinary guests brought enormous Souffiés, duck confit, too big for the house and expanded “and traditional French bread baked that morning. But the tote oe crowning dish ‘of the meal was fa mother's appetizer of Meee letatiea ori eases i braised foie gras on a bed of home-grown arugula. theme on French cuisine, Does that, mean we can make chocolate | mousse? a‘Tt.was my first exposure to the fattened goose liver (not that I knew what it was), and having eaten all of my own, I Set out to make ie rounds of the table. At each chair, T begged the remainder of each guest's serving, with a pleading, gap-toothed smile. But didn’t usually spend m Euchrod esas mecca against a Wednesday créme brilé T feel incredibly lucky that the work my family thas done has given me So many good things to eat and Cook and experience. T readily admit thet I may have been terribly Spoiled when it to fc ut it comes from ‘he help” a i ‘An atray of delicious memories that have ‘Stayed with me, flavoring my childhood.MY MOM'S FATILY HAS MADE THIS LAMB AT SPECIAL EVENTS SINCE MY GRANDMOTHER [Psa USED TO PREP IT. FR ye TE A BUSINESSMAN ANDTHE SON OF AN INVENTOR, MY GRANDFATHER DIED SHORTLY AFTER T WAS BORN. WHEN MY FAMILY COOKS TOGETHER— ESPECIALLY THIS DISH MY MOTHER AND HER SIBLINGS CAN REMEMBER HIM CLEAREST; JOKING WHILE HE CARVED THE LAMB, COOKED JUST RIGHT.YOULL NEED A BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB (You CAN ASK FOR THIS CUT (post tet FROM YOUR BUTCHER. THEY ‘actual x DE-BONE THE LEG AND OPEN aS vglietieg r \T UP. ITS Usuauty ABOUT 5 LBS) OPTIONAL SIDES. Cous-Cous GREEN BEANS: a@ Peet & CRUSH "MANY" (8-10) @smenk ALL OVER WITH CLOVES OF GARLIC, AND RUB OLIVE OIL, THEN RUB MINT THEM ON LAMB. THEN STREW AND ROSEMARY OVER LAMB, THEM OVER THE LAMB AND PAN. AND PLACE UNDERNEATH. RUB RUB @POUR 1 cup oF soy sauce @ DRIZZLE A THIN LAYER OF AND 1 CuP OF WHITE WINE HONEY OVER THE WHOLE SHEBANG OVER THE LAMB. 1 Wee, N @LET THIS MARINATE FOR SEVERAL HOURS, TURNING OCCASIONALLY FLIP!Cidbor, GRILL OVER HOT COALS ROAST IN A HOT OVEN (450°) Ws Reawe it FoR PEEPS wii (ike. weu-DoNe, Thre “sonR! THIS TAKES ABOUT 30-40 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON MENT/METHOD. ae - THE HONEY & FAT CAN MAKE THE (ent WER eR ER CONS Ts SHOULD REND 150° 155° a «oe Ge SOME CHARRING 1S 600D, BUT as You DON'T: WANT IT TOTALLY BURNED. somes Be SIT CE ML AFTER REMOVING IT n nf FROM HEAT » a RESIST THE URGE TO cot ON) ¢ SE RV FE OFF! Youll Ler out THE Jv" Ol GH. eanence. XA! (AT LEAST 20 MINUTES)coun, Oy CHAPTER 2 QOUSE : on ISnowWhen my mother took me, at © Manhattan child as Iwas,I could My mother took it upon herselfto Seven years old, tolive in the not imagine a world that wasnt acclimate, while I Sulkily mourned beautiful countryside of upstate divided into blocks and boroughs. my former Proximity to FAO Schwarz New York, Twas unamused. Why dort you i Im gonna LF, 50 outside? Jie plant. a garden Look at San : Bp over here the deer, sweetie! We'd moved to the country when my She planned a magnificent at imagi re incredibl parents divorced, so m mom deter- vegetable garden andwe trooped pie) pace to Bkia than these mined tp forge a life of independence allover the Hudson Valley to garden stores; reeking of fertilizer and nature, draqgedme along on her countless seed and plant stores. $74 oo tting eo and aever without \Hle-house-on-the-praine fant asy. a Scowling, child-hating Clerk. During one of these yawn-inducing Furious, Tstormed out of the ‘If there had, in fact, been a taxi outings, my mother was taking 2 store, crossed the parkinglol to passing by on that wooded dirt Particaldrly tong time over garden the dirt road, and with great force road, could hhave returned Gloves, when Treached my limit. and determination, flung my hand Safely to New York into the air, Screaming: That wouldve shown her! 20yother’s den flourished, yieldit section of the garden (tended almost entirel Mamet eae ange ome Sting MHS athe as Ret mae) Asparagus, basil (for fresh pesto), cherry, The flowers are bright fire colors, tomatoes, zucchini in staggering numbers, and edible! They turned salads baby lettuce, tomatillos (which Ld peel ‘ into Spicy, colorful, delicious and eat hot from the Vine, crunchy and Flower gardens! delicious, after unwrapping thera like Pieces of hard candy). (6) \#e4 Ce SE For the things she couldrit grow, I liked the farm store, whereI could After practicing on a rubber glove my mother turned to Greig Farm. buy a handful of honey Sticks with pinholes in the fingertips, T Glosed straws filed with honey) for was allowed te milk the goats and a dollar, and eat them while I pour the cream into.Jam Jars, nhygienically) petted the dairy Which T Shook until sweet, sort goats that were penned nearby. butter formed. pe) InGreigs strawberry Season, wed And Mom made jam until the whole Id find creative uses for the leftover pick berries inthe fields for market. house smelled So good that I float- berries that we didnt sell or jam. The cooking berries would Simmer in enormaus pots on the stove, volcanic and fra grant, Scenting the house with the damp, warm Sweet /sour smeli that Settled \ikea blanket over everything: placed very carefully on the tabie 2There was a small pond nearthe —Aflock of Cnormous white geese WhenT wandered too close to their berry-picking fields, where I Slowly prowled the edges of the water, nests one day, they began to rear learned to skip rocks and cateh frogs. their vicious Serrated beaks their heads with malicious hissing. parched for my blood. T backed away, but bythem it was too fate! @ C7 ‘The country is home tomany creatures. Honking and hissing,they Stung on the eyelid, flailed that can harm an unwary city Kids ‘chased me up a tree ‘off of my branch, dnd into Coyotes, bobcats, rabid raccoons: right into ahornel’snest, Some fragrant farm mud... But nothing has ever sprung upon me with the vioient intent of these geese where I was easy prey for T eventually broke free and Survived I have Since eaten foie gras with the geese, andthey had at me to tell the tale, but Spent therest of great enjoyment and very little guilt. with hissing, honking delight. the day witha halved onion on my eye, to draw out the hornet stinger. 22Soon after we settied into the Country life, Mom began to work at a farmers market, selling for Greig Farm and Some local dairies. They're inedible, but have a sweet citrusy Scent and make wonderFul (@nd fragrant) decorations. Kip carves beautiful wooden bowls From the Osage tree's wood. On goldenberry-harvesting excursions, we'd pluck them from bushes on the side of the road, or from the backyard of a loca resident who hadnt the Sense to ‘Appreciate them in time yellow cherry Pol tomatoes! /f Her market partner was a man named Kip, who introduced US to Osage oranges. Kip seemedto Know every spot in, the Hudson Valley where one covid ‘obtain a free harvest. The Osage Oranges we sold at market were often plucked from the launs of Kip’s unsuspecting neighbors. Once in a while, the lawn owner wasnt too pleased with our Scavenging, and a Few times we had to get out of there quickiy drop the berries! 23, Osage trees grow all over the Hudson Valley. They have incred- bly odd, bright green, brain -like fruits the size of grapefruits. Theyre mostly ignored by the tree ouuners, ‘except when they have ‘to mow their lawns. This was also how we obtained geidenrod, pussy willow, and a fruit that Kip called “goldenberries" for market, Othecwice Known 36 Pnysaisy onthe Lost Fruit of hs “Tacos” tnesire raspberry: ste Gem swert objects that 90) encased in aREeTN KE BUSES But Kip would creep back as soon as their cars pulled out, escaping with buckets of the little yellow fruits in their papery Jackets {BP DanceR Sq Es ny berries! | geesI got better, bending my city-kid self to the ‘The chickens raised from peering handfuls to country, but never quite reached that Statusof vicious pecking monsters would get eaten by the true farm Kid, where animal mortality is. raccoons, and I'd be traumatized. accepted as a part of life The neighbor The dog would drag home And Td look at him And Ta have nightmares for 2 week after alegofa deer thathe differently from then on. wandering into my mother's catering found on Some roadkill monstrosity, refrigerator, only to find that our Neighbor was Using it to Store the results of his latest hunt But I think it changed my relationship to the After all, the city might have exquisite food, but. world, tomy body and food, tosee that what Im certam that no restaurant in Manhattan T ate didnit originate on the Shelves of a Store. Can match my mother's pesto, Still warm from thé sun on the basil leaves. ) Til never forget learning that, you can eat corn ~ Hf right off the stalk! 24MOMS PESTO ROMAYO © aRMesAN =9a 2 ie GARLIC a + STUFFED WITH aaa Ses 7 UNTIL IT BECOMES AS THE PROCESSOR | ENJOY ON TOAST, VEOGIES, A THICK PASTE. ORT 26PESTO TIPS & IDEAS BE SURE TO USE GOOD, CHUNKY SALT! \ : A BIT OF aN iP asrer yt S * Hep ° R ADDED To PESTO Y Tomatoes 10 PEST” Keeps i BRIGHT GREEN Toast SALT Tomato LONGER! PESTO cot Wy SALAD DRESSING ig TPART DION 1 PART BALSAMIC 1 PART OLIVE OIL PART PESTO A PINCH OF SALT A SQUIRT OF LEMON wv SNACK! v ON MOZZARELLA, TOMATO & BALSAMIC ¥ BASICALLY IT MAKES ON AVOCADO! ANYTHING DELICIOUS! f) ON CUCUMBER! CBE! 27CHAPTER 3 TOUGH COOK.For a period of time, my mother and Ikept chickens in our backyard. Weld raise them from tiny peeping fluffkins, to furious sharp:beaked monsters with otherworldly Screeches! And more than just chicken-on- chicken, casualties— there were also regular break-ins 30 They were mostly Rhode Island Reds; particularly vicious red- brown birds that laid small, beautiful coffe fee-ice-cream-colored eggs. Like many first-time chicken farmers, my mother was duped into an excess of roosters, which made the coop particularly violent and scary. We'd have to gently boot the roosters off the hens before ey completely savaged them te death! Almost every morning, Id be confronted with some new brutal chicken massacre, which was 2 bit too much for my tender city-kid sensibilities ‘Im still uncomfortable around chickens. wv yEventually, my mom and weeded down the rooster population by giving them to unsuspecting neighbors. The hens-formerly a terrorized and downtrodden lot— expressed their gratitude by laying TONS of eggs! When she had exhausted her savory ¢99 dish repertoire, she went into a baking frenzy, churning out sweets ‘a fast as the hens could lay. She began to bake enormous oatmeal raisin cookies and spicy, brittle molasses cookies for the local art movie house to Sell at their concessions (he still does this). She favors buttery pecan shortbread cookies and powdery almond Russian wedding balls. 3 Mom tried to keep up with the steady egg supply, making omelets and scram- led eggs, huevos rancheros, Fluffy strada, quiche, and homemade mayo. T perched opportunistically at her elbow as she worked, ‘which was a perfect spot for me toreap the benefits of a sticky spatula or unscraped batter bowl. Iwanted good ol’ chocolate chip, which bored her, So was informed: if wanted ‘them, I had to learn to make them myself.So at the start of my independence I changed schools a lot- as the new Kid, Twas always in the kitchen, I learned the fine art Settling in around the fringes. Normally, [would of chocolate chip cookies. disconnect, burying my nose in a comic bool. But baking became my wayto _Itwasacomfortingritualto Providing homemade cookies to engage while disengaging. occupy my nervous energy and my classmates was also a good fill my belly. Nicely independent. icebreaker at new Schools. and satisfyingly dangerous. Ooh, the oven! Too cool. 32Squishy miniature "ig bready chocolate chip chocolate chips for Pere ie honey road tripshacks Mom might make fun of me for being generic or clichéd in my, combining chocolate chip Cookie __cookie/movie choices, but when Tin upset, its all T want ingredients is like watching - ————_—— “The Sound of Music.” 33My mother might scoffat the unimaginative __ Afterall these years of me ritualistically dropping chocolate chip cookie, but when she canbe spoonfuls of chip-peppeted dough on baking sheets, persuaded, she makes @ mean batch. she still trumps me in cookie skis. Maybe because baking, unlike cooking, ‘My mother’s steady hand and cool head make is more of an exact science. her an excellent baker, though she prefers the creative freedom of cooking. i always grandfather been good 05:2 chemical at chemistry. inventor. My baking istoo emotional, too volatile with But my cookies contain the anxious deliciousness distress, to ever match Mom's cookie perfection. earned through an afternoon spent in turmoil, Soothed an by separating my troubles into warm crispy pieces. RT ae School 2 LOVES) Pouitics 7 SFAMILY HEALTH “MONEY 35HOvne ge? SALT BUTTER melted bu! a Cele Uaw) >A wire (21s — 3637CHAPTER 4Thinking back to the foods from our childhoods, my generation reminisces on the culinary delights of well-preserved products of modern Science. | was unaware of these culinary As a result, something about their miracles until well after my classmates. foreign-ness has always carried an illicit appeal for me Eating homemade [na] 5 = = tomato soup for lunch Of course, that’s not the People underestimate it, and as much as my only reason | like junk food. parents might Keel over to hear me defend it, \ find that | often do anyway. It’s also DELICIOUS. 40On a regular basis, my body craves Like it or not, human beings Salts and fats, and there’s have evolved to delight in Sugary, nothing to be done about it. fatty, salty deliciousness, Most of us seem to have problems AS Someone who was taught from with moderation, but sunk food oy coronene une pene y : irely! eating, | find it discriminatory to dism shouldn’t be written off entirely! SRL UReloeienedusirnplyiberasellts considered unhealthy and cheap. You like the salmon > en papillote! Neayod do! 41We ate out often, and most of many of the meals were prepared what | consumed was considered, by my caterer mother. by adult standards, to be “above standard cuisine.” No, we do not have any KETCHUP. This is good, Mom, I never want to what is it? hear that word Conia Boiled hot dogs aD eS = | grew up in a household where They grew up to discover food outside the realm of the American standards they had grown up with, and renounced the processed foods from their pasts. They resolved to shield their only daughter from such things. 42Denied the grocery favorites of my classmates, My discovery of junky foods became objects of curiosity and Lucky Charms enticement to me, and my most remains @ particularly parentally-abhorred form of rebellion. fond memory. My middle-school classmate Joe Among these items was an array had’a mom who didn't cook. She kept of the sugariest, most artificially her pantry stocked with foods that flavored cereals |’d ever Seen. her adolescent son could prepare. What are these shape-things in this cereal? Marshmallows. DUH. 43,It was at Joe’s house that | discovered: My parents probably would have intervened if they had known what | was getting into over at Joe's. Somehow, | knew not to mention it to them. My father has always been torn He’s scholarly and refined, and between wishing me to remain a little did not share many of the same girl, and impatiently waiting for me to interests as his tomboy daughter. be old enough to share his interests. 44He couldn’t understend why ..And was baffled when a wine bar his four-year-old daughter was didn’t allow his five-year old dead set against a sushi dinner... daughter to accompany him for a drink after the opera. You'll have to leave, My dad was especially horrified when he took me, as an adolescent, to Rome for spring vacation, and our beautiful hotel on the Piazza del Pantheon was marred by its proximity to a McDonald’s restaurant. The divorce had been hard on us. Unfortunately, by the time we went to While | grew closer with my mom, — Rome, I'd been caught up in pre-teen my dad and | often only saw one angst, and saw the trip as Another during school vacations. Stealing me away from my friends. To find common ground, we traveled. 45,We fought. The truth is, My dad and i ete somes i times too similar—too finicky and wt hetsoviden rases soscnneee stubborn and easily wounded— Bee to get along all the time. If | say | don’t Feel good, then | don't FEEL a bed Unwilling to sacrifice his vacation to He would order osso buco (the my moods, my dad force-marched tomato-y veal stew) and | would me through all the ancient ruins, plow through mountains of and wrestled me into every Creamy pasta carbonara. stone-cellar bistro he could find. 46Scared and angry, | ventured out into the went to a bar. foreign crowd alone, et midnight. 1 Ordereg ar? OF hot chocolate Bnd was given the most deo cup of thick, dark ‘ When | got back to the hotel, my dad was still out. He didn’t return for a few hours, and | wi 1g to leave me in the hotel forever. ; E eee 47| went straight to the The next day, | left the hotel early. “4 “ a McDonalds in the square. Even though it was early, | could | sat on the floor of the hotel room, buy a burger and fries, warm and eating my breakfast. familiar, the grease eating through the bag, and the smell exactly the same as it was at home. When my dad woke up, the first thing he noticed was what | was eating. Horrified, he berated me for eating junk in one of the finest culinary cities in the world. 48Below us in the piazza, cafes were serving incredible breakfast delicacies. a SSE = — - Quince jam But | went on, gleefully licking my lips of the salt from the fries, crunching into the familiar, thin-sliced pickle, yellow mustard running down my chin. When | got home, my mother, having heard about my rebellious breakfast, began a smear campaign to convince me that the hamburgers at McDonalds were actually made of worm meat. Miraculously, | was undeterred. They grind up the worms, and then they mix it with BOOGERS. 49| remain undeterred to this day. It’s not often, but every once in a while, | need those fries. ,Oh, nothing, Mom. I'm just eating some, uh... toast. More than once !'ve found myself .»A reminder that, despite our lost in a foriegn country, when those cultural differences, we all sometimes. glowing arches are a welcome sight... need a little comfort grease. Desperate for @ public bathroom 50Like everyone, my food pyramid consists of many diverse compartments. It might not be healthy all the time, In my opinion, and it might not be what my parents my parents are missing out. wanted for me, but | think I’ve reached a pretty fair equilibrium J lu Poor Dad. for a twenty-something artist. Let's see, | have hot dogs and lettuce... can make hot dog Salad! Anyone who can fail to rejoice in the enticing squish/crunch of a fast-food French fry, or the delight of a warmed piece of grocery-store donut, is living half 4 life. But oh well, there’s only so much influence you can impart. 51ch 4 CLOVES 3 © = SAR gy O\\e VaLb PANCETTA ARHESAN Been A BUTTER Wap ROMANO PI Sa 2] 2 Tbsp =) a CHOPPED PARSLEY Tbsp Ss ARUCIN OL py, CUT PANCETTA INTO cook REG “Tu iD PIECES ABOUT THE BUTTER TIL GOLDEy, ; SIZE OF A DIME. PUT H20 on TO BOIL (For THE spacnetri) é ADD Some SALT He; 6S ™“Discarp: CL On ear THEM OW TOAST). COOK THE PANCET TA jny que HOT, GARLICKY OW/BUT rE TRy peoot: fs TO CONTROL YOURY nag. Me ENouGH To REDUCE NS TURE FoR ABOUT 2 ADD SPAGHETT) To BOILING WATER AND COOK UNTIL TENDER BUT FIRM. x NOT TO ERT ALL TEANCETTA OUTTA Then 524 foRK Makes BREAK EGGS nneae INTO A BOWL. ScRANBLER, ScramBce wit PARSLEY, PEPPER, AND BOTH CHEESES, jj Wy Be erree ADD HOT DRAINED PASTA «IER Ya" To THE EGc Mix TAN AW ® AND Stir ir up THE HEAT FROM THE PASTA WILL COOK THE EGG AND BIND THE NOODLES WITH THE CHEESE, — PARSLEY, AND PEPPER. MAKE SURE IF You'Re USING BACON, DONT ACCIDENTALLY BUY st a “Maple Flavored! aoe Prop: THe Or PRETTY, I [Ike ToADD 4 E : SPEAS= Qaeour A CLP, FRESH OR FROZEN) FOR EXTRA SWEETNESS. AND GREEN. STIR INTHE \ PANCETTA * 53CHAPTER 5 GETTING OURSThere was a time when, preparing for long-distance o make double Sure my travel, my top priority was to ensure that I had supplies lasted, I bought. @ one-hundred pack of the colorful Sugar straws. For Drew, this bounty was taken as a By the time we changed planes in Florida, challenge: finish the bag before we hit Mexico. Drew andI were vibrating with Sugar. Drew’s mother (etsy) and Their trip to Mexico was This, I imagine, was my own were pals from meant to be a girly fun- expected to be much- when they went to board- fest, for Mom to recover hampered by the three ing School inthe Seventies. from her divorce finalizations, children trailing behind. 56We've always been very Ti note that Learned to close, since he learned walk later, as Iwas smart to walk while using mY enough to catch on that head to steady himself. they'd carry me if L r ZI W] refused to exert myself. Betsy's son, Drew, was born a day after I was. \ The year of our Mexico ¥ trip, we were twelve and I was still years of f from being distinguishable from boys my age, To avoid the crowded coasts, we were staying in an arty little town, smack le of Mexico. We arrived at our hotel, iN which was complete [4 WY | fwith a courtyard of | We thoroughly explored it BP oranse trees and Secret | from top to bottom (still adobe hiding spots. fueled by colored sugar). 57When we got to the room, though, our They were completely bulldozed by mothers were snoozing in the twin the flu within the first few hours of beds before they could Knock back vacation, and spent the next four their first round of margaritas. days in bed, bemoaning their bad luck. Left to fend for ourselves, we loitered in the hotel kitchens for a while. The chef's huevos rancheros more than made up for the fact that. the hotel didn’t have television Fresh eggs over black beans, tortilla and Salsa verde | After about an hour, it was clear that we were best Kept away from the breakables if we were going to insist on consuming pure sugar in tubes for eight hours Straight. We were given a handful of pesos each and ushered feebly out of the hotel. 58When I think back to this, T recall the exhilaration and disbelief at our good for- tune. Here we were, in a new place, pockets full of cash and no parental impositions, ‘Set loose in Mexico to do as we pleased. I remember the feeling of bliss, as we made a beeline toward the center of town, our sneakers pounding up clouds of dust behind us. Tremember all this, and yet, when think of it, T can't help but wonder: They must have been ing? desperate to risk send- What were our methers thinking? ie lone in a strange Mexican town. We must have been really annoying 59San Miguel de Allende is small and quirky, but laid out before us, it was a city of unfathomable, undiscovered adventure and excitement. EW L a) C_ Shops and houses toward the many taquerias Adobe buildings flank winding cobble- Food is everywhere — giant Strings of Stone Streets, where men Sit outside dried red peppers hang heavy, smoking fragrant tabacco rattling in the breeze 60Within the buildings, we discovered an array of tiny shops that smelled, There, I ate the best tamales gloriously, of lime and corn tortillas. T have ever tasted, I know they were the — Pushcarts peddled sweet corn on a stick, with hot sauce best, because we tried as and lime, which turned the corners of our mouths red. many of the shops as We foam could find, before we 2 decided on the best one. be We ate them while sitting on the dusty curb, with cold grapefruit Soda, making a mess of our clothes and faces. 61The town Square hosted a magnificent market- place, where we Spent most of our The toys were fairly boring; mostly plastic tourist fare. Nois A maker Lucha libre dude Keychain that was later taken There were delicious ones.. Lemon candies filled with fizzy powder Long coils of bitter licorice ropes Huge portions of the market were devoted to candy and toy stands. time. But the candy was both alluring and dangerous. We bought it by the sack, experiencing new revolutions in our Sugar-hungry American mouths. ..And there were awful ones, that. Provoked gagging and hilarious jaughter. ‘sugared, dried, hot. Pepper candies Candied cactus Salty licorice bars 62The locals were kind enough Tt was the Second day of exploration to endure us— two Sugar-wild and When we discovered the Side alley, sre TT Seaee ane ee and the stand Epa bred would Soon ility to ind under: end all fortune in pesos, Spanish, other than “How much?” Seed volsinel fortune. t Ee Standing before the rack of glossy Displayed on the rack, without any magazines, I was pensively licking at @ attempt at concealment, were fifty Spicy, indefinable lollipop when I saw or So colorful pornographic magazines. Drew’s face go slack with wonder. We'd only known American magazine stands, where the Pornography was guarded jealously by adults, and our presence near to those rows of black- bagged mysteries was met with rebuke. So we approached Cautiously. 63To our surprise, the Proprietor only pulled a magazine from the ra and offered it, Shini 9 and crisp, into Dre\ Objects from his backpack were discarded; Mad Libs and School reading assignments and a travel Battleship game, displaced to make room for the porn Stash. ‘watched his shoulders begin to Strain against the increasing weight of his obsession. 64we discovered the door to { id pore over the mai and occasionally eee his wrinkle my nose or giggle. One day, while Drew perused ‘I worried I was becoming Sick, “Mamacita” I stared over the like our mothers had. adobe roofs, eating hot candied Iwas almost right, orange peel, and feeling a little ill. but I didn’t have the flu. Lookit! 65Many women recall the T cannot fully recall my feeli h, buy! y feelings, though, buying Flushed | embarrassment "hem alone, from a Mexican druggist who had napkins for the first no idea what I was trying to ask for. time, accompanied Mom as a brand advisor. It was bad enough that Lhad to —_...But at least now I, too, had something explain things to Drew. to Sneak around in my backpack. = UR oe 66After our mothers recovered, we spent. the rest. of the trip sightseeing, driving out to see ancient cliff dwellings, and viSiting a hot spring. We ate in nice restaurants. The food was delicious, but it couldn't quite compare to the cheap food we had discovered in our explorations through town. Pollo con mole Poblano Tortilla soup Enchiladas Over our meals, Thugged my stomach and drank limonadas (delicious lime, sugar, and sparkling water drinks), while Drew jealously guarded the knapsack he refused to remove at all times, which weighed easily twenty pounds by then. 67More recently, we Were discussing our time in Mexico while Drew and I were participating in our ritual of tandem cooking, / They're totally hatural! We often get together to cook meals and discuss old times. Our mothers like to watch us and interject their own perspective on what happened back then ’Member how they Were always, Sneaking upto the roof? Drew is q culinary student, now, and an amazing cook. And Lucy refused to take off her shorts at the hot Springs? Or how Drew spent two months’ allowance in a 68What amuses our mothers most, when ‘ «,, they tell the story of our Mexican, Our real transition out of child- “concurrent coming of age,” is that the hood was learning of the eternal ‘two of us believed, sincerely, that our inability to hide anything Secrets were well Kept from them. from a mom. They thought \ | they were so |] mysterious! j ‘Tn the security line at the Mexican airport, on our way home from our trip, Drew was practically bent double with the weight of his backpack. Our mothers chatted casually to one another about the idiosyncrasies of Mexican airport Security. Theard that the punishments here are severe for anyone trying to smuggle things into the US. 69Yes, that’s right. You could go straight toa Mexican prison, without a trial. And there are no laws that protect minors. You know what L heard they hate even more thon drug Smuggling? Boy, you Underage kids buying pornography do NOT here in Mexico. When they want to discover it at the border... know what they do! ‘They have a special Smut detector, like metal detector, but for porn! That's just Tim just glad Tm not taking any porno mags in my carry-on. Twouldn't want to go to Mexican prison 70| AAFTA GO TO THE BATHROOM) When he returned, his Pee LL was flat and empty, but his back was no straighter. At least $200 worth of pornographic magazines were now stashed hastily behind a toilet in the men’s public bathroom; @ treasure for Some unsuspecting janitor to discover. 7Drew made it through customs without He missed his souvenirs, but being hauled to Mexican prison, and we perhaps those Kinds of riches returned to America a little more mature. are better in moderation We've gotten plenty of enjoyment — We agree, there's a feeling about that recounting the story over the years. trip; there was more to it than we Knew. T got you a Lookit that Subscription] stupid hat! ‘40 “Butto ‘wore that thing Magazine”!| till it rotted! i But guess it’S bound to feel alittle odd when you accidentally leave Something behin our childhood Selves 72HVEVOS THIS Is ONE OF THOSE MEALS THAT YOU HAVE TO MULTITASK, BUT IT MAKES A GREAT MORNING-AFTER MEAL (FOR SUNDAYS OR NEW YEARS DAY). r GET OIL IN A PAN AND GET IT HOT! Neeo: ) @ youl nese: Q0 Dan FRY BOTH SIDES OF ZTORTILLAS, JUST ‘Conn UNTIL THEY START To PUFF (iosec) cet CHEESE ee Wy ~ = = Bun SRA SSN SEES URocmes parses THEN DRY THEM, ON PAPER TOWELS. @ waive E66 ARE FRvING, HEAT BEANS cet VOR ZECES INTHE REM Ay, 6 ON THE STOVE OR IN THE MICROWAVE. C % SS o>, = p Geez 9:4) y Peg. So eR king, BuT RUNNY BORE PS Down nro THE OTHE © CUT UP AVOCADOS AND @REMOVE BEANS AND EGGS FROM HEAT. GRATE CHEESE (< LIKE a CHEDDAR OR QUESO FRESCO). Al Towel v ey a. Go DeE-o1L) TORTILLA @pour saisa over Beans rornuia, COMBINE OTHER LAYER INGREDIENTS, G Uke Salsa VERDE, BUT your CALL) a3 NAD EAT ED & LN DETAILS — 74RANCHERO (EXPLODED VIEW) > TORTILLA <—_SOURCREAM. AVOCADO OAD! a ANS BEAN: TORTILLA, (LAYERS CAN BE REPEATED AS NECESSARY) 75CHAPTER ©When Iwas little, my mother would Iwasn't a picky eater, I was exactly the often make me enormous plates opposite. Twould try almost anything, and of Sauteed mushrooms in garlic. almost always found it to be delicious. What are Pickle you eating? Sandwich. Still one of my favorites Teraved the crispy chicken Frequently, there were Skin, salty and crackling, already frayed edges and would pick it from the around the chicken that chicken dinner while her were barely noticeable. back was turned, eo My mother, fastidious about her professional Once we discovered our mutual illicit cooking, had fewer scruples about the family appreciation, my father was dinner, and the sanctity of the chicken skin. hopelessly outnumbered. Why do we never have any ‘Skin On our chicken? ‘Never let your Fingers accidentally touch the 78a | break: jidn't For years Tate rice It wasn't that my mother Hey a6 hy Wee and beans for breakfast. was overinduigent. Iwas craved Mexican food, = never allowed sugar cereal, | l or given cheetos dinners. Always, reading at the table. She found it endearing, Like me, my mother has and she sympathized, because frequent cravings for red meat. She, herself, is a craver. Russian wedding cookies, WhenIwas a teenager, when she wasn’t with my We could barely wait for Vegetarian stepfather, she would make enormous steaks, them to repose, soaking in and we would eat them rare off the cutting board. their juices and still sizzling 4 alittle from the skillet. Reposing helps to flavor and soften the meat. 79It was a little witchy; two females, We'd run our fingers through the juice standing, cutting into a salty, bloody hunk and lick our lips and moan. of meat-the juice running down our chins. Then we'd eat just that, Sometimes we'd sauté spinach. We'd throw inenocmous bowls forelnnerd wet handfuls into a giant pot with olive oil and garlic until it was limp and dark. When we gardened, I would catch her biting into a warm, freshly husked tomatillo, the green flesh crunching quietly. Ipreferred the sweet, But eventually, tomatillos dusty, red cherry tomatoes. became my favorites, too. 80A K Trew into my mother’s cravings— woman's body craves protein and iron. othe Geisak olny ihanted body chemistry. WY Once d month) I need Spinach! Tike a were rabbit! How many of my cravings are learned How much of a difference is there, really, behavior, versus the uncontrollable between genetics and the legacy of inherited needs of my cells? my hutritional history? @ strange and eccentric meal, and exactly what I'd been craving. oe — x 81The Way Mor MNES Mushrooms MoM !s et 8 A ey A DEVOTED we FOLLOWER OF THE Ra SSULIAY ~ CHILD, So HER MUSHROOM TECHNIQUE OWES MUCH To MiSs JULIA. °Y Dow, a ont HAVE ONE, Do iT WW BATCHES OR IN THO SMALL PANS FY oo A SPATULA A DISH TOWEL A BIG PLATE A GLASS OF SOMETHING NICE TO DRINK oe tae 82Mute Lely FIND sit FARMERS MARK WHITE (IUSHROO)} a 1 FIND TYPES Di AKA: BUTTON, You BaBy BELLA, OR CREMIN(, * AR vf Fino ores ae OR MY FAVORITES: 3 * Shikoku e * THESE ARE SUGHTLY DIFFERENT, BuT PREtry simitar. YOU NEVER WANT To WASH MUSHROOMS. THEY'RE LIKE LITTLE SPONGES, SO THEY Soak uP water AND GET SOGGY Grex). gooeiNtss Away, IF THE REALLY DIRTY, Just PAT THEM (eH TLY) WITH A DAMP CLOTH AND THEN LET THEM DRY FoR A BIT. T DONT ALWAYS CLEAN FARMERS MARKET MUSHROOMS, ‘CAUSE I DONT MIND A BIT OF DIRT. mo BP ee hy FoR. H v< Ses BUGS XN 4 Gro a S G THIS WILL BE Q o® i eaTTPORTANT, ne A SAUTE Riot 83COMBINE SOME BUTTER ™ AND OLIVE OIL IN YOUR PAN. TURN YOUR (JULIA RECOMMENDS 1. PART OLIVE OIL TO 2 PARTS BUTTER) STOVE ON HOT. ADD ENOUGH To SHINE THE GIZTLE WHOLE PAN BOTTOM. TRESS % JUST OIL 1S OKAY, Too, FOR VEGANS. Some PEOPLE LIKE TO CUT OFF WAIT UNTIL THE BUTTER STOPS FOAMING JHE MUSHROOM STEMS, oe BITTER STOPS FOMINGjoy Ea aa OFF THE HARD BITS BEFORE ADDING THE MUSHROOMS To THE PAN BRING IT ON! Ween to THE ound Pp Mediu YOU ALLOW PLENTY OF S| goud THE MUSHROOMS, SHE ACE IN THe py Wont SAUTE AND Become eoeeam "Al X Te vey E Ss a ; Ro uner FoR oe ~ ( ~ SURE ov ¢ WN AND VEN Ly HEM! NO.” SS 84Now LET THEM BE FOR A WHILE. THIS IS A GOOD SIGN! THEY'LL SOAK UP THE OILS AND Don'T ADD MORE OIL/BUTTER, THE PAN WILL GET DRY AND EVEN IF THEY START TO SMOKE THEN THEYLL START TO A LITTLE — JUST TURN DOWN THE HEAT AND WATCH THE SQUEEEA Ky MUsHRoomS START TO SWEAT, DiSHTOWwEL. WHEN THEY SEEM BROWN AND CRISPY AND STILL MOIST, PUT THEM ON A PLATE AND ADD SALT AND PeppeR! =~ PEST EATEN WIT, OUR HANDS 85CHAPTER 7 ON FOREIGN SOYNot least due to the fact that Tam allergic to Soy, which No place has ever seemed to be in everything! made me feel as foreign as Tokyo. be careful about what EXTREMELY Jet-lagged. When Twas fourteen, my friend Drew moved to Japan with his family. ‘What does T spent a week visiting him ‘gaijin’ Soon after they settled. Searching for non-soy foods, Tcame 4 upon sweet, tourist. Soft, corsforting r mochi, which T devoured. When you eat sushi, you should eat the whole piece in one bite, unless you want to make a big mess. Drew was eager to show me all the illicit goodies available to underage kids in Tokyo- He favored contraband that reminded him of home back in the states, ‘Sushi moving by on @ conveyer belt 88Eating and buying food was always an adventure into a completely new realm of tastes and cultural imagery. Sweet and salty Squid candies vending machine! The candy store near Drew’s apartment was almost blinding in its array of intriguing neon goodies, marketed by strange and colorful characters. This one's got a cartoon eet on it! Te was nice to be among recognized the power o Anpanman, who has a head that is @ giant bean 89‘The candy wasn’t the only culture shock— ‘Japan has @ fourteen- hour time difference. don’t adjust peas ‘they 90 Being a teenager helped things. When you're fourteen, everything is weird and foreign and intense, Maybe we should get ‘out of the city, tomorrow.‘The next day, our mothers dragged our hungover corpses ‘ona temple sightseeing tour. As exciting as I found the Japanese food, some of the lunch Selections were a little difficult to take with a weakened Stomach. Rows of glittering, silver But after the first few days in Tokyo, T began to let go, and started to appreciate the lovely strangeness of Japanese culture, ‘Tespecially liked the way fruit was so carefully packaged for safety, in the bustling markets, full of new and intriguing smells. 91ba un : ye gional, many SOUrS® meal, bust oe DorayaKi~ poe aa tates Kaboona ae a serenity garden, in @ Wee Soli warm yor3 domplings > z Gane with shrimp, Goo Sashimi = 0 aT wasai SO 7 as. Salty dried Fish RZ > a with “the heads on ent weed cea OT “ oo yaki-onigiti. = Dean paste I wasn't used to a meal with So many courses, Ies polite to eat with enthusiasm, but it’s difficult: to Seem thrilled by the eleventh course OF SO, Eating soy, even though Tknow it'll make me sick 92Drew went to the American school, So he had other expatriate friends but Im sure he still felt isolated at an awkward age. ‘The American embassy in Tokyo he Aartad a bouling alley! Drew, big for year - old his age ‘Tokyo boy I couldn't imagine starting high school as an American in Japan. As if being fourteen isn't strange and alienating enough. At least he wasn't a picky eater, He adapted very well, actually. 93We were visiting during the rainy season in June, when the streets fill with Jewel-colored umbrellas. Do itashi machite. We waited out the rain indoors, watching Japanese television and practicing our pronunciation. “Tampopo,” Japanese film about food Drew lived around Not to knock the corner from a Americanized noodle shop, where ramen. we ate ramen Soup i with noodles, broth, ‘It comprised vegetables, egg, ‘and spices... «Nothing like the salty microwavable ramen Twas used to, backTwonder what Im eating. Just the one week in Tokyo was enough to make me feel completely overwhelmed. H's good, whatever itis. what it's lige not to bbe able to read? Japan was so jarringly different to Western me. Lexperienced this mostly through the food. hope there's no soy in this. Eating pulled me into unknown territory, with undiscovered danger and delight. 95pow TO MAke = sUsye Re SUSHI 1S WAY EASIER To MAKE THAN IT Seems! YOU Irs ALSO PRETry HEALTHY AND WAY CHEAPER To MAKE WILL THAN To BUY N EE D PLus, IT's FUN To DO AND LOOKS IMPRESSIVE WHEN You PREPARE IT FOR FRIENDS. A BAMBOO ‘SUSHI MAT. SUSHI RICE (Don'r Just USE REGULAR RICE) THIS RECIPE 1S AN AMERICANIZED VEGGIE VERSION OF MAKI ROLLS. I MAKE IT A LOT, BECAUSE A CARTOONIST WHO LOVES SUSHI IS SOON A BROKE(R) CARTOONIST, Po I use SweeT POTATOES, ee SHEETS, Avocanos, @) AND CUCUMBERS. on NORE SS ..BUT ITLL ALSO WORK GREAT WITH THINGS LIKE RAW TUNA, SAUTEED ESHROONS,& SS > SCALLIONS, oe 4. SweeT POTATO 4. AVOCADO 4 CUCUMBER oO R ANYTHING ELSE You LIKE IN SUSHI! = OPTIONAL 96a COOK THE RICE IN A POT OR RICE COOKER Bt) (THIS USUALLY TAKES ABOUT 4S MIN) You CAN MAKE THE RICE STICKIER BY RINSING IT IN A SIEVE UNDER COLD WATER BEFORE COOKING. THE WATER-TO-RICE COOKING RATIO WILL BE WRITTEN ON THE BAG. So WILL THE TIME IT TAKES FOR YOUR RICE BRAND To Cook. MEANWHILE CUT SWEET po PEELS LONG, THIN SrghTPES G) —a Ss Sweet poratoes smeue Uke FLOM agout_ AN NCH DEER oLive OL FOR FRYING. DON FOR Use AT LOWER TEMPERATURES Stee MIX FLOUR AND WATER == DS © toss w tue strips To THE zi OF SWEET POTATOES CONSISTENCY AND COAT THEM WITH OF GLUE. SS MIXTURE: = ZZ —o THEN FRY THE BATTERED SWEET FRY UNTIL CRIS Py POTATOES THEN PUT ON THEM A PAPER TOWEL To SOAK UP THE EXCESS O'L: 97CN CUT THE AVOCADO AND CUCUMBER INTO LONG SKINNY STRIPS. NOW COMES tHe SUSHI-ING! <—A DRINK™ Bowl OF WATER: f Y (K—VEGGIES Rice > SPATULA PLACE THE NOR| ON SPREAD RICE LAY VEGGIES THE BAMBOO MAT EVENLY OVER ‘ACROSS THE WET YouR HANDS GAINY SIDE UP). THE NOR! IN Rice BED. INR IERCC A Y/z INCH LAYER, AND RUN THEM LEAVING 1/2 INCHES OVER THE BARE AT THE ToP. PORTIONS OF THE Nelly NORI, WETTING IT SoTL STICK.THE Next PART “TAKES Sone PRACTICE aa THEN ROLL BACK SMOOSH THE END FLIP UP THE OF THE NoRi OVER, THE MAT SO IT END OF THE FOLDING IT ON TO Pat at ete MAT CLOSEST ay THE Rice oust TO CAREFULLY Rott JOUR MAAR (ROLL Maki, Ro. MAT, Scooch THE MAT/MAKI Down, REPEAT) WHEN YOUR ROLL IS ALL Reve for UB BAMBOO MAT AND er rau ne You SHouLD HAVE re MAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS: BLADE Gusta). + ad OF YOUR * KNIFE WITH IF THE ROLL 1S Too Far = we WET CLOTH FOR THE NoRI To CONTAIN, (a7 ies Gin You'Lt HAVE To Remove some OF THE RICE OR Veo. You MAY NEED To RE-WeET. \ \ eiane wl % THE WETTER ee poem i KNIFE, @e THE EASIER IT'LL SS Sune th DA! BE To cuT THE MAKI. i i DST Chor EAT WITH Soy Sauce, OR YouLL SmoosH IT! Se GINGER, SESAME SEEDS, AND UNAGI SAUCE! LEFTOVER CUCUMBER WITH RICE VINEGAR & SESAME OIL = 99CHAPTER 8 The Apple Doesnt Fall Far from the CheeseMy parents moved to New York City They had a small apartment in the Village, in the late seventies, where they ‘and lived cheaply among artists, lived the kind of Manhattan life musicians, and yuppies alike. ince migrated to Brooklyn. Just out of school, she was curious Exploring the city one day, she walked into about the world of food a tiny gourmet food shop called Dean & DeLuca. 102Within 20 minutes of ..Mom was wearing entering the store. an apron behind the cheese counter! That's not to say that Georgio DeLuca was an easygoing boss... { This ismo good! Redo this display! There, behind the counter at D&D, surrounded by towers of stacked Alpine cheeses and smelling of the ripest bries, my mother became master of her charges. 103 My father, returning home from his job in advertising, would be greeted by my mother's earthy cheese smell = clinging to her hair and skin~ which he loved.Working alongside her were musicans, In present-day Manhattan, this has become painters, writers, and students. rare, as So many trained culinary professionals come to New York to work in food that there are fewer jobs washing dishes or waiting tables Shelley, to pay the rent for artists or students. a painter It’s nice, of course, to have professionals in When Mom Started out, New York was the kitchen, but it might be said that without Still building its reputation as a creative people from other spheres, culinary mecca. Tt was a different restaurents miss out on Something... city from what it is today. 7 (actually this would be cool) I love to hear her stories from back then; The other reason like these stories so much ‘about the burgeoning edible revolution, is that this was the time when she the backstage tales of now-famous kitchens. became pregnant with me. 104She describes how she would haul enormous Later, she would speculate on how this rounds of Gruyére from the cooler to affected me —- how Iwas imbued with a love of ‘the case, customers peering at how she cultured dairy by sheer prenatal proximity. perched it on her swollen belly. Around that same time, and manned a table selling Throughout all of it, she volunteered at the produce at the Greenmarket. she painted Whitney Museum ... 105My firstjob’ at the age of three or four, was helping my mom at the Greenmarkets, which were starting up all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. AS a city kid, I loved the smell of hay and apples, the giant pumpkins, that Seemed so foreign in my world, After my parents split up and Mom and I moved upstate to live in the country, I was recruited to help with her new catering company. It had quickly become popular for small gatherings weekenders up from the city. Mom would occasionally help cater big shoots She shot a Kate Hudson ‘Vanity Fair”cover once, ele ina rainy, muddy field, and T was on hand for Annie Leibovitz, the famed photographer. GAC ED Pesca! She lived near ‘our home in upstate New York. 106Ispent the day slogging back and forth in the mud between the little portable kitchen and the catering tent housing the spare models, The models, I found, were fun to serve— mostly ignoring the Food and hobnobbing. As the rainy day wore on,I was sent across the field with She was nearly blue with cold, hot tea for Ms. Hudson, who was being photographed Soaked and shivering, Standing while standing in a frigid stream in the rain in water up to her knees. wearing @ flimsy nightgown. It’s quite a thing for the coffee kid to be completely unjealous of _an acclaimed actress, but I can tell you that I wouldnt have switched places. with her that day. Twent away grateful for my thick catering jacket, and went back to hide from the rain in the model tent, listening to them flirt and watching them move gracefully on the uneven ground. 107Another time, we cooked for an event at the extravagant home of art collectors. T suppose we should ‘get your chef's jacket cleaned. T had just hoisted a particular! of elegant tea cakes, whe a tug on my pant leg large tras nifet Their enormous house was filled with strange light installations, sculptures, and Scores of gorgeous paintings. They also bred Skittering around my feet was a toy poodle that was missing half its face. The poodle, it turns out, was a much-loved pet and breeder dog, and had been treated for jaw cancer at the family’s great expense. It had gone on to lock like something out of the Terminator movies. Nice little dog, though. 108Catering isn't particularly steady work, at When she noticed that many of the local least not the way Mom did it. She would turn farmers brought their wares all the way down down jobs while she pursued other interests. ta the city, She helped to organize the farmers market locally in our small town of Rhinebeck. She and I worked as vendors for a local fruit farm. My favorite thing to do at. ‘the store was to make the cider doughnuts. We had this cool old machine that trucked the raw dough into a chennel of hot cil (dangerous), then pooped them out onto a tray, where they were Coated with grainy Sugar. After they cooled, Td test them for quality Hot, doughy, \_ delicious 109In the spring, Twould work for a neighbor who grew organic shitake mushrooms. Part of my job wes to carefully tap each mushroom as I picked it, watching the tiny bugs flee the gills in the underside of the cap. Then my mother and I would sell Rhinebeck had slways been a pretty quiet town, ‘the mushrooms for our neighbor with @ handful of hardware and smoke shops for the at the farmers market in town, upstate locals and the Manhattan weekenders. After the Rhinebeck farmers market took off, fresh, local goods could be found close to the farm sources, end the town began to garner new interest from surrounding towns and the city. Its culture and economy grew, developing Rhinebeck into @ Hudson Valley ert and cultural center, not to mention a foodie hotspot. Wonderful food a 10At the farmers market, we started selling At sixteen, I would drive my rickety clunker cheese from a few local artisanal dairies, all over the Catskill Mountains, stopping at The Hudson Valley is home to a lot of little farms to pick up our order every week. gorgeous little organic dairy farms.) Morning, ladies! Nettle Meadow is a gorgeous Old Chatham is 0 ‘i little goat farm that elso ran —_ family-owned sheep farm, and 3k Farm, which animal rescue and housing, one of the most successful in is run by farmer nuns! The cheese was touted as ‘the Hudson Valley, 5 Whenever I stopped by to pick up the cheese, there was always some wonderful honey festival or hot air balloon event usually some inner-city kids petting a goat, ‘or some investment banker up with his family, learning to milk a cow. Their cheese was some of the best Ive ever had. mThe last catering event that Iworked with my mom before I left for art school was the reopening reception for the DIA Beacon, a modern-art museum on the Hudson River. Renovated factory space right on the riverbank The guests milled around in the freshly whitewashed Once the toasts began and galleries. The sprawling building was still empty of art, save the hors d'oeuvres ran out, for a few pieces that had been built into the space, and T slipped away to explore. everything echoed in the empty high-ceilinged rooms. With a few minutes reprieve from serving sashimi Twas due to pack up and leave for and mushroom puffs, wandered around the art School in Chicago in the fall, empty museum, thinking about art. and I was nervous. n2In my wandering, T Stumbled into a room that had been made to accommodate a Richard Serra sculpture. They had moved the enormous metal Sculptures in before the building was even finished being, renovated, as the largest and bulkiest pieces there. After so much vast emptiness in the bare museum, it was especially affecting to suddenly be confronted with the hulking form of rusty metal. AS a small child, I'd often walked past Serra’s famous “Tilted Arc,” and been impressed by its huge, imposing beauty, And now I was alone ina room with this familiar, famous, remote giant 3,There were no guards to shoo me away. ‘Iwas free to run my palm ‘over the Cool surface~ to press my cheek and ear to it and hear the dull echo-y thunk when I knocked against it I could be still with this piece of imposing artwork, unobserved and uncrowded, ‘Iwas an eighteen-year-old kid ina dirty waitstaff uniform, with tired feet ‘and pre-college jitters. But I could be alone, touching the cool metal of a famous and affecting work of art, a gift gained through circumstance. I thought of all the builders and guards and custodians who have had Similar moments, and felt lucky to be a server.Inspired, I tackled art school with my all. Twas homesick, butI was lucky T would drag my paint - to have family in Chicago. stained, bedraggled self to their house for My aunt anne, i wha once worked BAN il |e Like most of my family, my aunt and uncle ‘Tt was at one of these are very into cooking, despite having Anne asked if Twould help her out with a three kids with varying degrees of pickiness. series of food reviews she'd agreed to do as : an extension of her journalism job. ‘Mason, sixteen, who only feat and bread Would you like to come along? Alexandra, eight, who won't eat ich amiess te cali chcken Because you have to try 8 And Iwas available when Anne wes sometimes too busy, variety from the menu her professional adult pals _S occasionally she'd have while writing a review, she were too busy with work. my friend and me go, instead, needed a hungry mouth to ‘and send her our notes. get a wider range of tastes. I snuck out of my art history 5 Ors eitee ‘seminar! . pace: mp 15 far superior) aft Mac! 15Tt was a good time to be an eater in Chicago. By the time I graduated, Thad learned my way around Chicago as a thriving culinary city of foodie delights This used to be a dog groomer! Now it’s a, fancy pub! Te was one of my favorite places in the city— where, Surrounded by exotic and delicious ‘Smells, I'd be Comforted during stressful finals weeks, soothed by the presence of fifty-year-old oak-aged balsamic. 5 The city had always been a great meat-and-potatoes town, but the culinary scene was becoming more diverse. One of these delights was Fox & Obel Innovative chefs and great new restaurants were arriving in the Midwestern city, and the food scene was growing steadily. The gourmet store was founded by two lawyers who loved food, and started F&O with the intention of capitalizing on the culinary gold rush in Chicago Cactually have no idea how these gentiemen loot During graduation week, I was feeling nervous about my soon-to-be status as @ Bachelor of Fine Arts, so went to F&O for a comforting chunk of Humboldt Fog goat cheese. The delicious smell of food ‘that I can't ford n6When T looked around, clutching my $6 chévre, Lnoticed that Iwasn't the only student in the place. TE ‘They were behind counters, mopping the floors, and stocking ee the shelves. New York might be a closed book for jobs for someone like me, but Chicago was going through its renaissance of food, and there were still opportunities for a kid like me T asked for an application while the cashier scanned my cheese, and had an interview within a few days! Tn Mom's day, you could be hired as long as you had the time and inclination Thad to answer a bunch of psychological questions, Which cheese would you bring to 2 desert island? Seventies when I was a cheese- monger... If they'd had ‘Short a whole (4 Store staff! NTTe felt natural (and overwhelming) to be there among counter in the same sort of the hundreds of cheeses, tasting unfamiliar ones starchy monger’s jacket my ‘and learning to use the cutter and wrapper. mom had worn 30 years earlier. ay FE] Days later, Iwas behind the a 7 ot A eel el od el ad I was working alongside musicians, artists, actors, and students who had finagled jobs there because they, too, loved the fancy food they Couldn't afford. So transitioned out of college into My favorite treat was warmed Cantal (a medium-hard the “real world” with the comforting French picnic cheese) on crusty bread pilfered taste of Australian feta, crusty English from the bakery's day-old rejects. cheddar, and dark, earthy blue. ‘scorching hot (thave to know saren-cutting the cheeses to talk mea bah to customers.) SS warming —————— In stone the name of sales! S S cheese melting on wax paper nsEvery day, would ride my bike to work, past the fragrant chocolate factory that sent clouds of intoxicating melting chocolate smells thick into the air. Sometimes after work, my boyfriend would come down to the store to pick me up and we'd use my employee discount to take a cheese picnic to the lakeshore while the elation of the summer boiled around us. Ina city that spends so much time being Brune eiare ora eberive cold and sleety, beautiful summer days pee are especially sweet and celebrated for their rarity and surprise. to a poor college kid 19A SECOND-GENERATION CHEERFUL CHEESEMONGER’s Working a5 @ There are just cheesemonger has taught me * _ SO MANY KINDS a LOT about i of cheese, and cheese, but it's every one iS Eee different, and it's hard to remember cheese counter. what's good. THERE'S NO UNIVERSAL CHEESE CATEGORIZATION METHOD— Rater, THERE ARE LOTS TYPE or MILK IN CHEESE RIND TYPE on CHEESE Cow SHEEP GOAT BUFFALO YAK ? BLOoMY WASHED WRAPPED SS CHEESE _WARDNESS a eon Z SorT SEMI-SOFT — HARD AGE of CHEESE @ ie re een More nice AGED iovenes BUT EVEN MORE SUB-CLASSIFICATIONS EXIST. OH JEEZ, Now IM CONFUSING You. 120= IT's Cow's MILK AND RAW (UNPASTURIZED) + ITSAGED Six MONTHS TO A YEAR «ITS A CAVE-AGED, CLOTHBOUND RIND CHEESE. “Trg SEMI-HARD AND MELTS WELL (GRULED CHES BUT 175 ALSO A FRENCH CHEESE, A WINTER CHEESE Gute COWS FED ON HAY, NOT GRass), AND IT CHANGES COLOR, TEXTURE, AND TASTE AS IT AGES. SEE WHY THIS 1S 80 COMPLICATED? ALPINE CHEESES ARE THE A ua ee ONES THAT COME IN WHEELS, TARIA 3 So THEY »{ TA CURDLING AGENT KNOWN AS. Down eon eD, "RENNET™ IS MADE FROM THE MOUNTAINS WHERE ANIMAL PRODUCTS, TESS CE MADE: BUT THERE 1S suc ATHING AS VEGETABLE RENNET. ONE CHEESE WITH VEGGIE RENNET, PLEASE! DUE To THE POPULARITY (OF EUROPEAN CHEESES, MANY OF THEIR DAIRIES GOT OVERRUN ANOTHE CHEESE ‘SUFFERED. MANY AMERICAN DAIRIES ARE STILL SMALL AND GROOVY. TRY “EM! MoST CHEESE RINDS ARE EDIBLE — YUMMY, EVEN! BuT THEY ARE WHERE You'D MOST LIKELY ENCOUNTER LISTERIA OR CHEESE Mites” WI CREAR, ) ve ACTUAI i. | aS = BUT Not sie” a vel PROVE youre WARD” cor’ Ne BUGS USED To AERATE THE CAEESE, YOULL DO GREAT! 721CHAPTER 9 RING CRO ou ISs G NV e (iThe summer after my freshman year of college, my best friend, Nelly, and | bought Eurail passes and went backpacking through Europe. We didn't have any money, but we didn’t particularly mind. Let's hear it for Deon ail Student museum discounts, vous plait. We stayed in cheap hostels, We ate well, knowing that in and spent what little we did have a few weeks, we'd be back to On museums and food. ramen noodles and hot dogs. We're a little under- dressed for this * This is y the best chocolate ever. Ourwerrd hostel in Barcelona, wit Cubby beds 4Our hostel in Venice was a strange They cutee for the use of the hot little place, with overlapping rugs water knob, so we showered cold, and the smell of the canal drifting grateful that it was a warm July. Up to our bedroom window. ——— “Staring up at her from Aceering watch PR “the foe discarded lfor the creepy like a piece of trash, hostel clerk was an eyeball.” iy pe This book is ri Given te vs by anether backpacker Tal as an exchange. The first morning, | could smell the Nelly Sleeps later than | do, so bakery over the mossy canal smell. | ventured out alone to investigate. The bread and chocolate smells {nside, the croissants were coming emerged from the bakery in waves out of the oven in gleaming rows, of intoxicating warm air. fragrant and appealing despite the oppressively humid morning heat. 5