Fannie Merritt Farmer lived from 1857-1915. In 1896 she published The Boston Cooking School Cook Book. It was dedicated to the home cooks of America. She was known as the mother of level measurements and even had candy shops named after her.

Fannie’s desire was that people would cherish the delights of the family table. She knew if you put heart and soul into cooking you would find satisfaction. She believed part of the pleasure of food is in pleasing others. She said, “food is more than fodder. It is an act of giving and receiving because the experience at table is a communal sharing; talk begins to flow, feelings are expressed, and a sense of well-being takes over.”

Recently, a friend loaned my husband and I two cookbooks published by Good-Old-Days, Rationing Recipes and Cooking Up a Storm. She called during a storm and I cooked up a storm. I baked banana bread, cornbread, and upside down cake! Our neighbor plowed our drive and was happy to take a loaf of banana bread. Hopefully, it added to the delights of their family table.

My father-in-law was a self-employed baker who made his baked goods from scratch even though mixes were available. He put heart and soul into cooking and found satisfaction. He said, “There are people that cook and there are people that throw food at the stove.” In other words, they go through the motions only, and do not put heart and soul into it.

When my father was young, he worked on farms. He could earn ten cents an hour or one dollar a day during the depression but he was provided with room and board. That included what he called “good country cooking.” He said eating was their recreation. Recreation denotes pleasure. Are you missing the pleasure a good meal provides both in food and conversation?

Growing up on a farm, my family had three square meals a day: breakfast, dinner, and supper. Now my husband and I have breakfast, lunch and dinner. The names given the meals may have changed but the delights of the family table need not change. Meal time can do more than nourish the body. It can revive the soul and refresh the spirit.

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