Monday, November 7, 2011

Country mouse vs. City mouse


Paula Deen



I am good cook.  No, let me toot my own horn a bit more, I am a great cook.  I can throw things together and make just about anything taste good.  So it’s no surprise that this weekend I attended the metropolitan cooking and entertaining show in Washington, D.C.

While there we got to see the fantastic country cook, Paula Deen.  Now, I consider myself a southerner, but if I say it in front of my husband, who is from Long Island, N. Y., he will always pipe in with the fact that I wasn’t born in the south but New Jersey of all places.  It doesn’t matter that I have lived almost my entire life in the South; I am a northerner in his eyes.  And yes I have relatives that speak with a New Yawk accent!

No matter what he says, though, I am no stranger to southern cooking.  My first husband, Jerry, who died in a car accident, was born and raised in the south. (Thus passing my husbands criteria of a true southerner)  Jerry’s whole family was just like Paula Deen, boisterous, fun and incredibly good cooks.  Good country cooking subscribes to the theory of waste not--want not.   Country folk used what they had.  They had to grow their own food, raise livestock, and churn butter…and they used it-- liberally.  They were not fat because they worked hard.  And they all lived to ripe old ages.

So I consider myself lucky.  In my life, I have experienced the cuisine of the north and the south.  I have had knishes and Italian ices and I’ve have had hominy (not grits) cooked with sausage, corn pudding, and fresh churned butter, and fortunately for me, I am not fat.



What kind of regional foods do you like?  Are you a country mouse or a city mouse?

10 comments:

maddyrose said...

I've lived just about everywhere in this country, up and down the east coast, all through the midwest and southern states and up and down the west coast and have had about every type of food you can name and of them all I'd say I'm a country mouse.

Valerie-Jael said...

I love food, but I can't cook; I would probably starve without sandwiches and chocolate! Valerie

Anonymous said...

what a great post, I'm so sorry for the loss you have had, I am a country mouse for 48 years who is now a transplanted city mouse in training,

Carol said...

Oh I am definitely a COUNTRY mouse!!! My hubby is form Long Island too and he calls my heritage "hillbilly" but he'll cobble up that hillbilly food in a flash :) When we moved to the country in Missouri 9 years ago he was lost and out of place. Now after 9 years of country training he says he could never live in the city again. :) My mission is complete well almost :)

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Definitely a city born girl, but now living in a more country setting. The food I could probably not do without is that of my heritage, Italian!

Heather said...

Since I grew up in the NYC Met area and would definitely consider myself a city girl...I went to college in North Carolina and lived in Charlotte for a while...definitely a City girl...no more grits for me!
I would love to try your cooking, though! hugs!

Magic Love Crow said...

I am a country girl and I love the food from my heritage, Polish ;o) But, I do love Italian food too ;o)

izzy said...

Born city - live country. I cannot manage too much heat in my cooking-
Sharpness, tart- yess- (Horse radish, wasabi) Not a BBQ fan really.
I would say I lean more toward European, a tad of Asian- with a milder curry - you get the idea!

Judy Adamson said...

I used to be a great cook - even cooked for other people's parties; and my daughter's wedding present was a copy of the recipes I'd tried and tested over the years, all printed out nicely! But now that I just have myself to feed and art and design has taken over my life, I really enjoy a freezer-to-microwave tv dinner!!!!

Dolly Daydreams said...

I too am a good cook food was my passion until I started cardmaking. I love all foods and have been a member of many a cookery school. Love Greek food but have to say have a passion for Sushi, Indian and Thai not only eating it but cooking them too.

Marie

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