Fiesta of Food

When I first married Virginia after WWII I was the cook in the family. Now that is not saying much. I could scramble eggs, which I learned how to do as a child and I had a smattering of in-the-field cooking I had to learn in the army; like heating a can of beans on the radiator of a half-track vehicle. Virginia had zero experience. She had worked part time in a bakery but otherwise ate what her grandmother served. So, we were fortunate in sharing a home with my mother briefly in Redding, Calif. and; later, living in a small cabin we built on my Aunt's property. Both my mother and aunt were good home country cooks. Virginia's first lessons came from them.
As time went by Virginia, or Jimmy as I called her, took a sincere interest in the preparation of food. I encouraged her by supplying the appetite and many recipe books. Finally our mutual interest in the subject led us beyond the norm. As a child I was considered a "picky" eater. There were so many foods I would not eat. What wasn't understood at the time was that I had severe food allergies. I have been saddled with them ever since. It is a running tease in my family and among my friends that I will not eat anything 'green.' And, factually, most green things with few exceptions (lettuce, peas) make me ill. But, as I explored the world of food with Virginia, I found I could eat a great variety of foods of any ethnic origin.
In the 1970s we founded a club called the Afro-American -Irish-Mexican Meeting and Eating Society. About every other month members would gather at a friend's home and we would have a pot luck dinner. I was the president/dictator and the rules were simple: bring enough food for your family, your own beverages, and bring a friend if you like who can also become a member if he/she is compatible. The variety of foods shared at these dinners was astronomical, of every ethnic origin, and the gathering of friends was delightful. This club became so popular that many members just could not host the dinners at their own home. Too many people. One of the last dinners Virginia and I hosted was held at a downtown hall that we had to rent to accommodate everyone. The club collapsed of its own popularity.
Virginia eventually became a gourmet chef. She could prepare meals that were derived from most any country. She could make from scratch everything from Chines char chi bau, re-fried beans, tamales, baklava and Vietnamese pastries to Turkish stuffed cabbage rolls and southern fried pies. We continually investigated the world of food and at one point we decided to eat our way through the phone book yellow pages. We started with such "A" restaurants as the Asian Cafe and the Alhambra Bowling Alley, visiting 4-star places along the way. An exciting adventure. We dined in fabulous places when we traveled such as the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, the Jewish restaurant in the old City of Paris in San Francisco, the spots in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and the great German restaurants in her home city of Cincinnati. I will always have the great memories of our adventures together in the world of food. But - - I still won't eat anything green - - - -
I'm just sayin'