- Photograph taken at the local farmers' market (summer 2009) before the camera died.
"When cooking is thought of as a matter of indifferently opening cans or laboriously preparing complicated conglomerations, it becomes either boring on the one hand, or exhausting on the other. When, however, it is appreciated as the delicate art of choosing and preparing natural foods in such a way that their life-giving qualities are unharmed and so that they are pleasing to the eye and refreshing and delightful to the palate, then cooking becomes a joy."
Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., Diet & Nutrition, A Holistic Approach
"Should I try to bring up to date my grandmother's recipe for Boiled Dressing or Addie's Sister's Pickles? And if so, why? Yes, this is a strange confrontation, partly with my own past, and the recipes will prove it, no matter how grudgingly or triumphantly."I use the term "elder" rather than "senior". Senior to me implies that we've managed to survive for a certain number of years and have arrived at a socially-sanctioned "retirement" age. Elder to me implies that not only have we survived, but we have learned something along the way, gathered some wisdom along with years.
M.F.K. Fisher quoted by Joan Reardon, Poet of the Appetites, The Lives and Loves of J.F.K Fisher
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Oh, the challenges of the Elder Kitchen: between the allergies and the reflux, the low fat and the high fiber, the low salt and high antioxidant . . . not to mention complex carbohydrates. Hardest of all are the prohibitions against sweets and the constraints of portion size, kitchen space, and food budget. We may have to learn to eat alone. We do have to avoid pre-fab food and chemical additives. We shop at new places and in new ways, like using on-line resources for special products. We thought cooking for our kids was hard. Except for those whose kids have allergies, it was all rather simple back then. Of course, some of us never did the cooking – our spouses did – and now in our sixties or seventies - we may have sadly lost them and we’re playing kitchen catch-up.
Despite the challenges of Elder Kitchen, I’ve ended up having a great time experimenting and discovering, shopping for and cooking and eating many wonderful, sometimes even memorable - though modified - meals. It came to a head for me with the discovery that I have Celiac Disease. I decided I’d just have to dig into it in the spirit of adventure. I think it was a Clint Eastwood character that quipped in one movie “It’s not a job. It’s a mission.” That pretty much sums it up for the Elder Kitchen, or anybody's healthy kitchen. It's a mission. It takes dedication.
In the kitchen and out, one of the many great advantages of my life is a rich family background that includes a diverse mix of racial, ethnic, and religious origins. I believe that makes our family quintessential examples of the great American experiment, which among other things expresses itself in the delectable diversity of cuisines and traditional feast-day foods. Additionally, having lived on both coasts, I’ve been exposed to a variety of cuisines right in the ethnically heterogeneous neighborhoods in which we've lived. I would be remiss if I didn’t remember those many friends, neighbors, and business associates who have generously over time introduced me to their cultures through the sharing of foods, particularly through traditional holiday events or religious feast days. In the documentary Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama says that the path to world peace is through festivals. I don’t think it’s that simple, and I don’t think he does either. But it couldn’t hurt. It’s hard to look at someone as “other” when you’ve broken bread together or shared a bowl of rice.
Among the wonderful things other cuisines can teach us about cooking is that there are many different ways to combine foods and to flavor them. Many of us in the States are so deadened to flavor by the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) that if food isn’t laced with fat, salt and sugar, we think it lacks flavor and richness. We feel deprived. But many cuisines use aromatics to enhance flavor, vegetables and sometimes spices sautéed at the start of the cooking process. Examples of the use of aromatics are the New Orleans Trinity (onions, peppers and celery) and the French mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery). Iranian's set an example with their prodigious and creative use of raw herbs. Indians often fry spices in a pan as a start to food preparation. Other cuisines teach us that we can expand the flavor base of a dish and improve complexity by changing the oils used for cooking and dressing. Toasted sesame oil will lend a very different scent and flavor from that of olive oil. Some European, Asian, and Middle Eastern dishes include fruit in savory dishes in a manner we tend not to do in the S.A.D. Often, those cuisines are not as heavily meat and fat based. We may learn from other cuisines to prepare vegetables with imagination in dishes that result in complex and nuanced flavor and scent without excesses of salt, sugar and fat.
Modifying old standards is just one way to go in adjusting to new dietary constraints, and it's not always the best way. Another is to learn new ways to cook and flavor and to prepare and eat fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains that we haven't tried before. When I learned I had to eliminate wheat and gluten from my diet, I could no longer grab a bagel at the coffee shop in the morning or take-out Chinese dinner or a pasta dish on the way home from work. I learned to substitute a piece of raw fruit or some raw vegetables. I transitioned from corporate fast food to Mother Nature's fast food. Not a bad thing on many levels. It’s budget wise, waist trimming, high fiber, and cholesterol free. It’s a nutrient and enzyme rich way to go. It precludes the consumption of chemical additives. It’s easily portable. What more could I ask for? In the end, I find there are so many unexpected advantages that derive from the constraints of the Elder Kitchen. One day I woke up and realized if I had transitioned to Elder Kitchen when I was in my twenties, I might not be in such bad shape now. Something to think about, eh?
Here's to your health . . .
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