Penny for your thoughts by: Nancy Whitaker
Our world has always centered around food. Anyone who ever went hungry knows what I mean. When you feel a growling empty feeling in your tummy, you know you better get some chow.
I am a big foodie and always have been. Living with my grandparents until age 15, Grandma was a no nonsense old fashioned cook .
She made meals with fried potatoes, ham, and some kind of greens. Another dish she made was Cauli Ca Mosh. She took a can of creamed corn and a can of kidney beans and mixed together and warmed them up and served with some bacon. At age 5, that was the best meal of all, I thought.
One food I never tasted until I was 18 years old was shrimp. I had never heard of shrimp until I got married. When my husband found out I never tasted shrimp before, he took me out for a shrimp dinner.
He informed me to dip this little fried thing into sauce and then eat them. They were so good that, I did not know this, but I ate tails and all. Like I have said, I grew up in the 50’s in the country and we had good food, but nothing like shrimp.
There is a show on the History Channel about The Food That Built America. The show features men like Milton Hershey, The Kellogg’s Family, Mr. Post and the McDonald brothers, who sold their innovative eating place to Ray Kroc who now has McDonalds Restaurants in almost every country and city.
The man who came up with Coca Cola was a Civil War vet who died before he saw the success of Coke soda. By the way, the ones taking over Coca Cola removed cocaine from the beverage.
So American innovators and scientists had the determination and innovation to study and bring us the food we still eat today.
Food is such a big topic and one I love I may have to add another column dealing with school lunches.
Here are some weird food beliefs you may find interesting:
During the Nineteenth Century a preacher named Sylvester Graham invented graham crackers. He was concerned about carnal and promiscuous behaviors that he said his crackers would suppress those sins.
Fish and lemons have always been connected because years ago it was believed that lemon broke up the bones in fish.
One of our favorite treats is chocolate and it is said The Mayans used cocoa beans for currency…..
During WW2 the British is said to have made fake bananas. They took parsnips and mashed them and added a type of banana essence….. blah
Victorians used alum to whiten bread. Oh my! Alum was dangerous and could lead to all kinds of health problems even death.
The ancient Egyptians used honey to mummify their dead. Honey was thought to contain various items that helped preserve the body. King Alexander the Great was said to have been buried in a casket full of honey.
I am always amazed at the different food products that appear on grocery shelves such as the various kinds of Twinkies, Peeps and frozen treats. but that is a whole different topic.
Did you eat shrimp for meals when younger? Do you have any food myths? What about An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away? Let me know and I’ll give you A Penny For Your Thoughts!
