One of the guiding rules in life is that it is generally a good idea to avoid making the same mistake twice. I try to obey it when the stroppyness and the stubborn streak do not get in the way. ffice On Friday, Him Indoors’ mother is coming from ffice:smarttags" /> Him Indoors loves pasties. He is a good Cornish boy who was brought up on them. The Boy likes pasties. Nanny in I never make pasties. I have learned long ago that every man has a favourite dish from their childhood. Very often the dish was a family favourite cooked by their mother. It can be simple or elaborate but no matter what, nobody, especially not their wife/girlfriend/partner can cook it as well as their mother does/did. I will not cook pasties despite repeated requests. The Boy’s father had a favourite when I met him. I was naïve and thought it would be a good idea to make it for him. The favourite was apple pie. No biggie. I made apple pie and time after time while our housemates declared them great the verdict was the same “it’s not like my mother’s, my mother’s apple pie is nicer”. I did not give up, I kept trying. One day I went for Sunday lunch at his mother’s house. It was the beginning of a long and intense dislike for his parents but that’s another story. For pudding I was presented with the famous apple pie and the penny dropped. There was no way in the universe my apple pie would ever taste like his mothers as I could not bring myself to make such bad pastry – ever. The pie had more pastry than apple. The pastry was pale, barely cooked and soggy. All along I had been trying to make a great apple pie not realising that what he wanted was his idea of a great apple pie. The apple pie he had been eating and had enjoyed all his life. I am not alone to have made this error. A friend got tired of hearing how her stew does not taste like her mother in law’s stew. She did blurt out that of course it does not because she can not contemplate ever cooking anything as bland as his childhood favourite. I have often wondered which dish will be the power dish between me and whoever decides to share my son’s life. My friend has wondered the same about her sons. My mum makes lumpy mash. I use a ricer so my mash is as lump free as they get. Sometimes though I find myself thinking, it’s not quite as good as my mum’s. Maybe it’s not just men whose heart can be found using the route which goes via the stomach.
Mummy's food is always the best, he said as he scraped the burnt bits off the fi
ffice" />
21.4.04 22:40
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(22.4.04 18:26) can you burn Pizza? My mothers home made rice pudding even the dog refused to eat it, I cant do donvienienc food like Pizza, you can have it burnt or soggy ! |
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(23.4.04 10:19) I make my own pizza so it normally turns out ok. We buy very little convenience food because it never turns out that nice and is too salty for our taste and by the time you have bulked it up with veg or salad you still have had to make dinner so why bother. How could someone mess up rice pudding you just put it in the oven and forget about it until the timer goes beep, there must have been something wrong with the milk. I am not very good at stir fries (the texture is never quite right), yorkshire pudding is a bit hit and miss and Him Indoors' bread is always much better than mine. |
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(23.4.04 18:40) Yorkshrie pudding..........the only tiem I've done them brilliantly is in an Aga( and we don't have one) stir fry hmmmmm not very good at that one either. Pineapple upside down cake on the other hand is a different matter and a whisk sponge with cream and strawberrys is a dream. |
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(25.4.04 17:30) Hope you have survived the Ma-in-Law mine is about to turn up for a cream tea and tripple berry whisk sponge. |
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(27.4.04 14:03) Ma-in-Law going today. We'll miss her. She is very nice, not like the previous who is a relation of the Wicked Witch of the East (she even looks like her). She is good company and helpful without taking over. She is retired but has many commitments so she can never stay as long as we would like her to. |
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(15.11.04 21:32) You can stand a spoon in my nan's gravy and her dumplings sink. My mother in law calls yorkshire puddings "batters". It drives me mad. |
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(6.2.05 20:18) Hilarious! As I was reading this, an advert flased up saying 'Apple Pie Recipes Remember Mom's Apple Pie? Make memories for your children today.' And they say Irony is dead! |
