Favorite Foods

Steve has a story he likes to tell about his birthdays when he was a kid. He grew up in the 1950’s when, in his opinion, kids weren’t coddled and catered-to as they now are, he says. And as the oldest in a family with five kids, in those pre-credit card years he knew money was carefully allocated for necessities. So on his birthday, there weren’t parties or dinners out. Instead his mother would prepare his favorite dinner in his honor. At this point in the story someone will usually ask “and that was?” to which Steve replies, “I don’t know”. But mom knew, and that’s what she prepared for him.

I always enjoy this story for a couple of reasons. One is that in the 50’s Father Knows Best timeframe, in this case mother knew best. But mainly I like it because I enjoy thinking of Steve as a little kid with a favorite food, though it apparently changed from year to year. But if his adult choices are any indication, probably included were those 50’s staples, macaroni and cheese, and meatloaf.

This made me reflect on the fact that I have no favorite foods, other than bread perhaps. Did most people have favorite foods, or have them now, as adults, I wondered? I decided to question some friends and family about that, if they had any and what they were. In thinking about possible responses, I had my own bias, thinking that women seem to obsess far more about weight and looks than men seem to so therefore they (we) weren’t as food-centered as guys.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. The only thing my admittedly unscientific sampling revealed was – surprise – most people like what we have come to know as comfort foods. Pizza, man n’cheese, soup, and yes, meatloaf. Sensuous foods like avocados and artichokes also were mentioned, as well as custards, puddings and ice cream. Some surprises to me were French fries and also fresh tomatoes, although come to think of it what’s not to like about French fries. The fresh tomatoes mentioned were described by their admirer in such ardent detail that I immediately had a craving for them.
This is not to say that everyone eats their favorites all the time. In fact, I suspect many things may have become favorites because of the lack of them, coupled with a bit of nostalgia for what we used to be.
Notable by their absence as anyone’s favorites were things like grilled vegetables, tofu products, and nouvelle cousine, even though the strong presence of these things in many stores and restaurants would indicate otherwise. Perhaps the children of today will someday see them as their childhood food, or, having been exposed to so much more than the previous generations, will have a more global approach to, and acceptance of, various types of fare.

These days Steve determines his choices and so knows what his favorite foods are, and yes, meatloaf is one of them. If I cooked meat I might be able to provide a good recipe. But you may just have to get by as he does, which is to have it when we go out, or alternatively, get it from Trader Joe’s. He says their turkey meat loaf makes great sandwiches and who am I to argue?

But my favorite result of this musing has to do with the tomatoes. We are just starting to come into the season when flavorful tomatoes become available, if not in our back yards, at least at the farmers markets. So we will all be able to enjoy them at their best, and perhaps get as much pleasure as my friend Alice does. This is how she describes them.

Alice’s Passionate Tomatoes

Home grown summer tomatoes, so juicy and delicious you can pull them off the plant warm from the sun and eat them standing in the garden (provided no pesticides have been applied!)
Or, slice them and have them with a little salt, or put thin slices on bread for a sandwich so drippy you have to stand over the kitchen sink to eat it.

Alice’s all-time favorite pasta recipe
Diced summer tomatoes in olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and red pepper flakes.
Marinate at room temp overnight
Toss with hot pasta and grated Fontina cheese
Enjoy!

Thanks Alice.