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April 2008 • Volume 8, Issue 102
Food For Thought... By Mr. Ernie Larsen
FOOD is a large part of our lives, wars have been fought over food, not sure which ones, but knowing some of the other silly reasons for war, I'm sure it has happened. Entire countries have been affected negatively by food, the Irish potato famine for example; and there are always third world countries in need of some type of food. Governments routinely use food as a tool in diplomacy. Huh? You ask - how about all those State dinners presidents give for visiting dignitaries and Queen Elizabeth is always feeding someone on a lavish basis. Then there are the diplomatic breakfast meetings, when the Secretary of State goes to Monorokaslovakia on a peace mission, with everybody dressed up in their Sunday best, hey, when's the last time you put on a suit and tie for breakfast? And there is always food involved in all these trip that politician's take, so you see, food really is more than just a meal. Back when I was growing up, my family had dinner at the table every night. There were 5 of us, Mom was a stay at home, not like today when many Mom's have to work; we lived with my grandfather's in his house; he and my father were both carpenters and at the end of the day they were hungry as were my brother and I after a tough day of school and the essential after school activities, playing with our buddies, we worked up quite an appetite making gigs (4 wheeled conveyances, poor man's soap box racers), playing hockey at Baldwin's Pond or just riding our bikes and doing other goofy stuff. We never went home after school and planted ourselves in front of the TV - we made our own fun. Oh yes, homework was de rigueur, after dinner. We had to be called in for dinner and like I said, it was a daily ritual. How many people now sit down at the same time every night to a home cooked/prepared meal? Not that many I guess - I just watched a public service announcement on the tube exhorting people to put aside one day a week to have a family meal, everyone in the family, at the same table, no TV blasting, no cell phones, no laptops, just the family and some good old conversation. When I was married Mom invited us over once a week or so and when the children arrived we continued the tradition. Now, we switch off with my daughter occasionally as schedules permit, she'll have us over and we reciprocate. And now that we are empty nesters we share food prep and eat at the table a couple of nights a week - the other nights we do what I've coined as 'al fresco' watching the news on TV whilst having our meal. We do talk a lot more at the table; talk is good! So, I suggest everyone who reads this and does not have a sit down meal at least once a week try it out. You may like it - if you don't, nobody's going to know. It really is a nice change of pace. My mother, her sisters and one of my uncles used to let me help, well, sort of, cook when I was young, I probably was mostly in the way, but did learn and remembered a lot. We lived on the second floor above my Mom's mother and father and some of their 9 children were always at the house helping out, so I pitched in and that was the first place that piqued my interest and fascination with food and its preparation. To say I like to cook is an understatement! I'm an experimenter, I watch the Food Channel much too much, collect cookbooks, own over 40 on every type of cuisine and have contributed to several myself; I'm obsessed with clipping recipes from magazines. As a matter of fact, I just started my own "Ern's Favorite Recipes" notebook with some of those I've tried and many to be tried. I also culled out a bunch that I deemed would never make it to the stove/oven/grill. As I write, right next to me on the desk is a recipe for a coffee cake I'm bringing for the Continued on Page 4 Easter brunch at my sister-in-laws.
Earth Day is April 22: Go Green! Take Pride Meriden, an anti-litter committee chaired by Patricia Lynes, would like to remind residents that "going green" is easier than you think. Below are simple things we can all do every day to make our community a healthier and greener place to live. 1. Reduce! Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use/enjoy on a regular basis. By making the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturally purchase less/create less waste in the future. 2. Reuse! Reuse plastic shopping bags, or better yet, purchase some canvas bags to carry groceries and other items home from the store. If you do use plastic shopping bags, return them to the grocery store to be recycled. 3. Recycle! It takes over 500 years for a plastic bottle to decompose. Recycle your plastics, paper, and cardboard. Curbside recycling guidelines for Meriden can be found on the City's website, www.cityofmeriden.org. And, please,
don't litter. 4. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). Wait until your current bulbs burn out before you switch. CFL bulbs burn for about 5,000 hours, compared to just over 1,000 hours for traditional bulbs. That's not only good for our environment, but for your wallet, too. 5. Avoid the Daily Waste of Fast Food and Shopping. Avoid creating trash wherever possible: when ordering food, avoid receiving any unnecessary plastic utensils, straws, etc. (ask in advance), buy ice cream in a cone instead of a cup, buy products with the least amount of packaging, etc. Every little bit of trash avoided does make a difference! 6. Take a hike. Consider walking, biking, taking the bus, or carpooling whenever possible. Consolidating trips saves on gas, which - warning - could make your wallet a little heavier!