I thought I would acknowledge Father's Day this year by talking about some of Alan's food fads and favorites. I honestly can't remember all of them over the years, but I'll just mention a few.
One of the things he has been excited about since we've lived here is access to delicious watermelon at a fairly decent price year-round. He also had a few food fears, like salmonella, so this picture shows him washing a humongo melon with soap before we cut it and devoured it.
Zorro left his Z and Alan always leaves his fork in the rind, like a flag raised by the conquerer. It's sort of his signature move, I guess.
Alan rarely eats "the bowl." That's what my dad called the ends of the watermelon. He liked watermelon too and always ate it with a knife, not a fork or a spoon. Somehow Dad convinced us that the bowl was the coveted piece of the watermelon, second only to "the heart." It wasn't until I was grown up that I figured out that the bowl really isn't that good. I guess I got off track a little with that story, but since it is Father's Day, I hope you'll allow that.
Then there is Alan's famous fudge. In Idaho, certain types of weather, usually cold or rainy, triggered a "fudge day." Sunday afternoons were quite often "fudge days" too, especially in the winter. Even without the cold, we've had quite a few "fudge days" here too, until recently when he got on a health kick. (That is probably using the term, health kick, loosely.) He hadn't made a batch for a long time, but to celebrate Father's Day, he made some yesterday. The fudge recipe, which Alan has memorized, is one that his dad used to make when he was a kid, so it was fitting for Father's Day.
This photo captures his two most recent food fads, homemade tomato juice and coconut water. He boils up a big pot of tomatoes and blends it; seeds, skin, and all and freezes it. He just thaws it and drinks it and thinks it's great. The green things on the counter are the coconuts. He saws the ends off, puts a hole in it with a scary-looking tool made especially for that, and drains the coconut water into a big glass. Supposedly agua de coco has a lot of potassium and other health benefits. I think it is an acquired taste, which I haven't acquired yet.
So here is the Father's Day Portrait for 2010; Alan with his a coconut that just gave him 3 cups of coconut water. (That's a lot for one coconut). You can see the peeled potatoes on the counter ready to get made into potato soup, another long-time favorite food. He still has fudge on a plate in the refrigerator. Life is good.
AND
AS A FATHER'S DAY BONUS
Who said you can't teach an old Dad new tricks?
Guess who did all these dishes and stacked them to drain so precariously creatively? (Our kids probably won't believe that he did them.) He never rarely did dishes at home. I didn't really mind because I didn't really help him with his sheep either, but, here is proof. He knows how and he does a good job.
I can think of a few more of his food fads, like the fruit drinks, and his favorites, like the hot milk and toast. I'm sure I missed a few though. If you had the pleasure or the misfortune (depending on how you want to look at it) of sharing in one of them leave a comment and refresh my memory.
7 comments:
I always thought Alan was good at creating whatever he had a yen for at the time. I remember him making white sauce gravy and also noodles with Ragu.
Any of that is great though because he was willing to do the corn and get it in the freezer. He may have even helped with the peaches. I was impressed.
First of all WOW to dad for learning to do dishes in his
50's...it just goes to show that it is never too late to change.
Second of all...MOM, you forgot a few. What about that summer we had homemade rootbeer on tap all summer? Or when dad got into using a syringe to squirt different juices into chickens and then roasting them? That was a good experiment. Or, the different varieties of tomatoes which prompted the buiding of a greenhouse. Dad's food fads are messy but fun!
Wait..I forgot about the wild turkeys that dad bought to roam our yard. Was that a food fad? I don't know if dad was planning on eating the turkeys or not but as I recall they all ran away anyway.
I was always impressed when my mom would mention that Uncle Alan was canning or freezing or what-ever. Glad he hasn't changed. And anyone who has that much love for a watermelon is always near and dear to my heart.
Now I've got to go make fudge. It is .....hot & humid.....would he think that was a good enough reason? I think so too.
I got in on the banana and avocado drink. Maybe that's what kept me from dying from my ruptured appendix for so many days
I thought of a food fad/health kick that Dad used to have, and that we have reminisced about recently. Remember the Low Fat Snackwell Devil's Food Cake Snacks that Dad ate 2 or 3 boxes of every day and then threw the boxes in the back seat of his pickup? I do.
-Lee
I remember when Big Al made/encouraged/forced me(all in the name of being a good hostess) to try the hot milk and toast. I assume it was gross because it was more like lukewarm milk and soggy bread. I MIGHT give it another try in a year- if we end up in another Depression.
Love ya Al ;)
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