On Sat 12 Jul 2008 08:21:43p, Kathleen told us...

> Kswck wrote:
>> Parent, other family member, friend? Or did you have to learn on your
own?
>>
>> Mom boiled every veggie to death. Figure ALL pork must be cooked in a
fry
>> pan covered with mustard and sauerkraut, till it's dead, beef so rare it
>> would moo and chicken ONLY in a pressure cooker, or Shake-N-Bake.
>> (Don't get me started on her soups-she believed food was to keep you
>> alive...taste? 'You want that too? Why?').
>>
>> Learned on my own.
>
> I pretty much learned on my own. Somebody (my mom, maybe?) gave me a
> children's cookbook - probably a youth version of the Joy of Cooking -
> that I read cover to cover. I believe that was the summer between 3rd
> and 4th grade. Good info on basic techniques and plenty of decent
> recipes. I got a lot of practice because my parents were busy that
> summer building our new house.
>
> Until I started cooking on my own I thought I hated vegetables. Turns
> out, I just hated canned vegetables. My own kids regard canned green
> beans as dog food, because that's the only reason I buy them. Our dogs
> are athletes and keeping them at their ideal weights leaves them feeling
> deprived. Given the opportunity, the wolves in their DNA tell them to
> gorge 'til it hurts, eat it all, eat it now, who knows when your next
> kill might be? Scheduled feedings are too recent an innovation to
> trust. So I add high bulk, low calorie veggies to their meals to help
> them feel satisfied.
>
> Usually I make enough extra of whatever vegetable I'm making for the
> family so that the dogs can have some but if whatever I've made is too
> spicy, greasy or onion-y (big no-no) they get canned green beans or
> canned pumpkin. I've actually seen my daughter shudder at the sight of
> canned green bean casserole at a holiday potluck. I feel pretty much
> the same myself.

I found "The Boy's Cookbook", '59 Edition, at the library when I was 14. I
had already been cooking for quite a while before then, but this book had
some great recipes in it that I still use.

--
Wayne Boatwright
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Saturday, 07(VII)/12(XII)/08(MMVIII)
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My other car is a broom!
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