Dear Friends,
I recently read something titled “Millennial versus Boomer” regarding food. Apparently Millennial’s believe that they know what is fit to eat and how it should be prepared and served, and those poor Boomer’s are pretty much ignorant about healthy eating and do not possess taste buds.
They began with a short attack on Cracker Barrel calling it a boomer’s nostalgic wormhole serving cornbread, country music CD’s, rocking chairs, and potatoes. Let me elaborate with a shortened list of foods they feel people my age (apparently I am a boomer); Appropriately let me begin with cornbread, a dry tasteless throw back to the Civil War (personal insert here, that would be the war between the states) often made with sparkling sweet tea. Bran cereal, while healthy has no taste, add raisins and it becomes tasty but too much sugar. Vienna Sausages, a mixture of beef and pork encased in sheep intestines canned in chicken broth is unhealthy and raises uric acid and salt intake. Sardines smell. But it gets worse, Tuna casserole is a mushy mess that is an insult to even make, Bologna is a lazy meal, Spam is slimy pork in a can, cream of wheat and grits are tasteless paste that no one eats without adding things like salt, sugar, or cheese. Fish sticks, processed and fried. Shepherd’s Pie, mushy, tasteless mix, meatloaf apparently not favored by millennials were described as cheap ground meat cooked in a loaf pan and given a not very clever name. Limberger cheese (one of my favorites) possesses a vulgar odor and cannot be digested.
Sadly it is very apparent that those labeled millennial have had it too easy. The foods that we “boomers” (and those before us) ate were the product of much harder times; fresh fruits and vegetables were for the most part a seasonal part of meals citrus fruits and many vegetables grow only in certain sections of the United States during season and transporting them from say, California or Florida to say Pennsylvania, especially rural areas was costly at best, canning became a way to preserve these foods for off season consumption. Refrigeration was something called an ice box requiring large blocks of ice which needed frequent replacement. Salting and smoking was another method of preserving meat. Canned meat made it possible for our troops to have meat in the field. I remember bacon and scrapple in cans, I am sure there are millennials passing out at the thought. Food, prior to pampered, millennial, softies was survival, often when food supplies were scarce or in short supply. It was also a center of a social society that gathered at the kitchen table over food, drink, and conversation, music often was added. My grandmother played piano, my dad the trumpet, uncle the drums, another uncle the banjo, anyone could play a thump bass, perhaps someone would pull out a harmonica. Being social was achieved much easier, no one was bombarded with twenty-four hour a day information (fact checking was unheard of) we knew when the news and weather was on, radio or later on TV, and we tuned in at those times. Honestly the weather was not that important, we knew how to read the weather by looking at the sky, trees, flowers, animals, the water surfaces. We worked hard, enjoyed life, gathered with friends, and we ate food that sustained us and made us feel good. I only hope I am here twenty years from now to see how well meals like; Avocado toast, Kimchi with spicy broccoli and sesame scallion rice, Cacio E Pepe brussell sprouts (whatever that is), Green machine smoothie bowls, and baked sweet potatoes with garlicky kale and almond butter as well as those who have sought nutrition from these mysterious morsels have fared. Meanwhile my wife is saying that my hot dogs and baked beans are ready and we have company joining us so bring my guitar with me.