By Laura Stec
E-mail Laura Stec
About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...
(More)About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and environment pioneer, macrobiotic, Master Cleanser, ayurvedic, and officially-designated health-nut or party-girl (depending on the year). Professionally, I've worn many industry hats including: line cook, corporate chef, Food Coach, caterer, product developer, restaurant reviewer, culinary school teacher, corporate wellness educator, food co-op clerk, author, and even Cirque-du-Soleil lead popcorn concessioner! For years I managed an outdoor kitchen, deep in the bear-infested woods of Tahoe, and also for hospitals (the most unhealthy kitchen I ever worked in?), Singapore high-rises, mule-pack trips, Canadian catholic rectories, and more events than I could ever recall. Yet I still keep discovering. Actually, I adapt everyday by new lessons learned from teachers, customers and students. However there is one food truth I now hold sacrosanct: Eaters are motivated by pleasure. So no matter what we discuss here - recipes or restaurants, food politics or pairings, local events, food as art, or even as God, I will always come from a high-vibe, party perspective. Oh I do still long to change the world with great tasting food, but know in my heart, "If it ain't fun, it don't get done!" So - wanna come to the Food Party? By the way - it's a potluck.
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With D-Day just past and Fathers Day this weekend, I offer you a sweet slice of history and honor.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about our family garage sale, and how we uncovered
blind pig beer mugs, and old box of photos in the attic. But that's not all we found. Buried in my father's shop, (I call it his tool museum) I found his two WWII scrapbooks filled with hundreds of articles fastidiously cut from The Detroit News when he was 15 years old (he turns 90 next week).
It was another hidden treasure, never even seen by my mother. The history was impressive, but since I'm not a big war buff, much of the content passed me by. That is until I looked deeper and started to see all the articles about food. They enraptured me.
Through food we can learn so much about a culture, a period of time, even a person. We eat to fill our stomachs, but the stories behind the food can also fill our heads and our hearts. So pick up your fork and pierce into the past with me.
I don't think America will have really made it until we have our own salad dressing. Until then we're stuck behind the French, Italians, Russians and Caesarians. ~Pat McNelis
After pouring over all of this, I kept wondering what the "D" in D-Day stood for. Despite all the 70th anniversary coverage, I had to look it up. Surprised me to find out it stands for nothing! But now the "D" will always stand for, and remind me of, "Dad."
Happy Fathers Day to all you fathers. While grilling this weekend, think about where to hide a surprise for your kids to uncover when you are grey or gone.
My father, looking at his scrapbook for the first time in probably 50 years.
