If you sat down to supper with your great great grandparents, you may not recognize some of the foods being served, and with your 21st century palate you might not enjoy it much either.
If the tables were turned, they might feel the same way about your supper. How? Why? There are two basic reasons, one of which is in our national news today.
The first, and simplest explanation to the disparity in tastes is necessity. Your ancestors, even as recent as 50 years ago, possessed a frugal mindset when it came to food. By and large they grew at least some of their own food, so they were very intentional about not wasting that resource. From hogs to tomatoes, effort and money went into raising food for the family. Thus every bit of it was utilized - buttermilk from churning milk into butter, organ meats from the farm animals, and some fish and game that was plentiful, if not necessarily desirable.
Purchased food items were also relatively expensive. For as much as we are aware and concerned about food prices now, families 150 years ago had to dedicate an even larger portion of their household income to groceries than we do. “Luxury” items like sugar and white flour were used sparingly due to the cost.
A second, and more nefarious reason for the taste gap is industrialized food. It beckons to us with its low cost, convenient preparation and addicting flavor profiles. I could spend the day discussing its perils, but generally, there is no real food in that “food.”
Your forefathers wouldn’t know what to do with boxes of stuffing or macaroni and powdered cheese. They wouldn’t recognize chicken nuggets as meat, and I’m sure they’d think our modern snack foods look and taste awful.
The inspiration for this article came from an innocent curiosity about why we tend not to make and eat “certain old-fashioned” dishes anymore, like hog’s head cheese and blood sausage. It’s natural for a population’s tastes to change.
As civilized people, we drive progress in all areas of our world and it shapes how we live. But I think it’s important that we stop and look around once in a while to be sure our advances are truly helping us to live better. Some things just can’t get faster, cheaper, and easier without losing their integrity.
A French chef friend of ours used to drop in at the restaurant periodically with some of his chicken pâté in a little mason jar, along with a homemade baguette.
It’s a wholesome, nutritious, AND old-fashioned treat that is really simple to make. This recipe comes close to Alain’s, and I hope you’ll try it.
Let’s Eat!
