Earring 0089 - Transmitting

By now you know that I like to watch Korean dramas. When I watch them, I always learn something like just now. Today I learned something that I realized that my mom did when she was cooking. She would transmit her joy and happiness into the food she created. Then, when the people ate her food, they were able to feel that joy and happiness. There aren't too many living people left who have tasted my mom's creations other than family members. For years and up to maybe five years ago, people would come up to me and comment about mom's talent for cooking. Personally, I've done a lot of gourmet cooking since the 1990s. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I started cooking by throwing things together. That was a knack was mom's best gift. It was a gift that she gave away as often as she could. We lived a simple life and raised most of our vegetables ourselves. Milk was bought from a local farmer. We had enough relatives that mom and dad exchanged fish we caught for meat they raised. It also helped that we lived across the street from a chicken farmer, where we got our fresh eggs and our chickens. Mom would throw things together whenever we had company who just stopped in. Years ago, most company dropped in without calling or setting a date ahead of time. No one ever felt like there was any intrusion; after all, that's what family and friends are for...to be there when they are needed.

If something turned out exceptionally well when mom concocted something, then she would write down the recipe. I have many notebooks of mom's recipes. Every once in a while mom would make something that we didn't like but it was very rare that that happened. When we didn't like something, she would get this look of devastation on her face. Even though we didn't like that look because we knew we hurt her feelings, it was better that she knew than for her to make us something in the future we didn't like. I remember one time in December 1968 we were at my brothers' apartment and mom made this delicious-looking supper. No one liked the main dish. She was so upset that she started crying. Everyone tried to make her feel better but it didn't help. It was something that she had to work through herself. Think we're all grateful in the end that we never had to eat that dish again. Mom is probably rolling over in the grave because I'm writing this story for the public to read. However, if there were only a few times that we didn't like something she made, I think that she should be proud of herself for a job well done. Plus she listened to what we had to say to heart. It wasn't her cooking we didn't like, it was the dish we didn't like.

One of the things that mom didn't make was lasagna. We had it in our school lunches. I lived in an Italian neighborhood for a few years. Two Italian grocers taught me how to make lasagna. Think even my ex husband would say that was the best dish I ever made. Haven't made it for a few years but still get requests to make it. Even mom liked my lasagna. Because the Italian guys showed me how to make it, it's a big batch that could feed about 30 people. Needless to say, at this point it's too expensive of a dish to bring to a party or family gathering. Tried reducing the quantity but it would still feed 15 peoples. Maybe someday we'll have a celebration that needs lasagna. You just never know what will happen in the future.

Donna and I make a good pair because neither of us get enough black and white earrings! Lithuania is newly added to the countries where the blog has been read.