Both of your highly descriptive posts on your mom’s learn-ed cooking were at the same time, mouth watering (even the gritty spinach, because that is a marvelous combo dish prepared without the sand! heh) and a testament to your mom’s individual way of approaching fine cooking. Wonderful memories.
Mom-in-law was at State Dept. all over,including Beirut in the days when it was called the “Paris of the Middle East” (now look at the destroyed port, one more Hezbollah nightmare, a destroyed city and cultural wonder)—
Anyway, she was always welcome on visits because coming back from work i’d call in and ask “what’s for supper?” and she’d say something like “Coquille St. Jacques and a light salad Med style, and a light dessert of ice crean with puff peach filling pastries”. Needless to say, stuffed myself with fantastic food and just the right wine. Now it’s beans and rice (Acadian style,and economizing).
Your mom and my inlaw would have made fast friends.
I would like to think that is true...people like them saw the world, and who can see the world and not love the food they encounter and try to make it their own?
It is one of the thing things that when I pray and thank God for the things in life...hot showers, a roof over my head...I always remember to thank him not only for food, but the luxury of being able to get plentiful food and do variable things with it.
Sigh. How bleak it would be to have to be grateful for ANY food, even simple white rice or unleavened bread.
My whole life, I have never wanted for food (except those times in the Navy when I opted to get money instead of a chow hall pass....and spent all my money! I went for weeks at a time drinking powdered ice tea and eating wonder bread with tub margarine! Eck! But I was young and stupid in those days...:)