Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - 9

MILL CREEK STORIES

When he was sad or frustrated as a
child, the line he heard from his mama
was, " Here, son, have a meatball. "

ar, salt, pepper and flour. That was it.
Every other ingredient came from their
farm. It pained her to hand over " folding money " to anyone for anything. At
her side, I have churned butter, gathered
eggs, planted and harvested vegetables,
herbs and fruit, and in November helped
scrape the hair off the hog carcasses before we started hams and sausages. She was thriftiness
personified. Today, I often trade cookies with my neighbor for her gorgeous homegrown string beans. I can't go
into work in the summer without someone shoving zucchini and squash at me to take home. Thriftiness lives.
Rule 4: You must be able to taste the love. Soul food
reminds you that you are loved by someone. You have
value. You would be terribly missed if gone. Soul food is
someone who remembers that you do not like peas and
omits them from the chicken pot pie because you are at
the table. Soul food often has an aroma of sacrifice about
it. Someone generously sacrificed their time to make
you a meal. Soul food is a mother who claims that the
chicken backbone, a wretched section of the bird, is her
most favorite part so much so that no one else can have

it, so her children can have more meat and not feel guilty.
Soul food tastes like someone cares enough about you to
remember what you like and try to please you on your
plate. When we can't find the proper words to tell people
how we feel about them, we can show them through our
food. You can taste that in soul food, no matter its geographic origin.
Rule 5: Soul food improves your mood. No matter
what mood you're in, there's something uplifting about
humble food done right. Food doesn't have to be fancy or
expensive or exotic to make an impression. Food doesn't
have to appear artistic or clever. When you put a spoon of
soul food in your mouth, you feel better. Period.
My Grandma Grace often said, " As long as you can
smell onions frying in a skillet, all is right in the world. "
Yes ma'am, soul food can heal. Amen.

MARCH/APRIL 2021

9


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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021

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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - Cover1
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - Cover3
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