What did you learn during the Pandemic?
By
Gerry Niskern
During the first wave of Covid the shelves in the grocery stores were often empty of some items. But even with that problem many families learned to gather in the kitchen together and cook. They were isolating, not going to restaurants and staying away from fast food places. Most learned that food unites families as even some first time cooks laughed and joked while working together in the kitchen.
Of course, everyone learned what we have always known; that true happiness starts in the kitchen. I remember if I happened to be at my grandma’s house early in the morning there was nothing as heavenly as the smell of her bread in the oven. She baked every day and on holidays she decorated the round loaves with flowers and leaves made of the dough.
I sat and watched one Aunt make around six pies one time. She just grabbed handfuls of flour, chunks of shortening, a little salt, and drops of water and worked it into the perfect dough for six pies, no measuring required!
So now, it’s back to the kitchen. This new strain of the virus playing havoc on the food industry, there are no employees to prepare the food and no one willing to deliver it either. There is one young career couple in my neighborhood that had GrubHub bring dinner every night. I wonder sometimes how they are eating this time. Maybe they learned how handy that kitchen was!
I think all the practice cooking together during isolation the first time around is “coming into vogue” again. My daughter-in-law started making a wonderful pizza with dough from scratch and topped with her homegrown veggies. She bakes them on her outdoor grill. Yummy.
My # 1 son has been perfecting his version of quiche. Every time he makes it, it just gets more delicious!
Now, the thing is, even when everything gets back to “normal” and the food industry is functioning better, everyone will now have some specialties to enjoy that ambitious members of their family have perfected during the Pandemic.