Girls of the Round Table

(This cartoon was recommended by my friend Lauren and bears absolutely NO RESEMBLANCE to anyone who might or might not be mentioned in the following post. I promise. It also reminds me that I might need to re-read a book my firstborn daughter gave me a few years ago entitled How Not to Become a Little Old Lady).

One of my favorite perks of retirement -- ranking just slightly under getting to sleep past 5:00 a.m. -- is the luxury of long lunches with good friends. After years of having less than 25 minutes to put away materials for the last class, get out materials for the next class, use the restroom, walk to the far end of the school, go through the cafeteria line, find a place to sit, choke down my food while catching a few sentences of "what's going on in the 1st (2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th) grade world," hurrying back to my room just ahead of the next class, and putting on some fresh lipstick (You didn't really think I'd be able to concentrate on teaching without my lipstick, did you?), leisurely eating while doing something enjoyable is very high on my list of fun things to do. I can't imagine trying to diagram the sentence I just typed.

In the last year, I have started attending a wonderful Bible study on Monday mornings, and invariably several of my fellow attendees "do lunch" afterwards. Some days there are as many as 15-16 who go, but most of the time we have 7 or 8. There are 4 or 5 restaurants that we rotate between, but we are definitely open to trying new places. :) Depending on the tables available in the restaurant, we might end up in a long rectangular arrangement so conversation is only effective with those in close proximity. But this past Monday, we were seated at a large round table, so all of us got to hear everything. Perfect!

I've used the title GIRLS OF THE ROUND TABLE on purpose. This most recent group ranged in age from 45 to 86, with the majority of us being in our 50's and 60's. Surely we have the wisdom that comes with being a "woman," but mentally -- or maybe I should just speak for myself -- we're still girls. Our topics for discussion range from politics to church business, but most often we share about our children, our husbands, and our grandchildren. It's an equal opportunity group, you understand.

Last Monday I found out some pros and cons about taking a cruise, and a few of the hazards involved when a husband retires. One week I learned that one of the women worked for the FBI during the J. Edgar Hoover days, and during another I heard about the amazingly creative business that one of the husbands had started. These women are intelligent, willing-to-be-transparent, and insightful. They are all interested in growing in their Christian faith and learning from each other. Best of all, they love to laugh.

I often wonder what kind of image we project to the people who serve us or who might be observing casually from other tables. Hopefully, we are kind and considerate to our waiter, not being too demanding, and tipping generously. I also hope that we show joy and portray the genuine care that we really do have for one another. Some folks who happen to look might notice a strange habit we've acquired. Now, when there are a lot of us and we're seated in a long rectangle, we usually just ask someone near the middle to say the blessing. But, when the group is smaller, we play a quick thumbs-up game when the food arrives. The last one to catch on and get their thumbs up is the "winner" and has the privilege of saying the blessing. :)

I invariably leave these lunch gatherings with a fresh perspective -- on myself, my marriage, my children, my church, and the world around me. I'm also sharpened by these women -- "Iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 A great investment of time, wouldn't you say?

"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice." Proverbs 27:9

No Longer My Mother's Culinary World

To put things in perspective, I tasted pizza for the very first time when I was a freshman at Samford University and went on a date in the spring of 1969 with a handsome young man named Tommy Barrett. He took me to a quaint little place called Jim Davenport's Pizza Palace in Mountain Brook (which I have just learned is STILL there -- see picture above). I'm sure he was surprised when he asked me what I wanted on my pizza, and I had no earthly idea what to say. He ordered for us, and when this round, beefy, tomato-y, cheesy, crusty creation was set in the middle of the table, I had NO CLUE what to do next. Can you believe anyone could have actually been taking college classes and be that naive?? I fell instantly in love!!! Tommy was nice, too, but I'm talking about the pizza. :) College days opened up many new worlds for me, with new culinary taste sensations being one of them.

My mother was a great cook. Don't get me wrong. Being able to depend on -- and anticipate -- having roast, mashed potatoes, English peas, rolls and a yummy dessert every Sunday after church and then the leftovers while we watched "Bonanza" on Sunday night is still a delightful childhood memory. As I've mentioned in my blog before, my mother was The Queen of Casseroles. She loved mixing things together into something amazing, and her squash casserole was "to die for." But, she particularly loved collecting and trying dessert recipes. (A funny but frustrating habit that she had was when someone would tell her about a new recipe, she'd write the ingredient list ONLY on any scrap of paper she could find handy. After she died, we discovered many such lists remaining in her handwriting without the benefit of the name of the dish or the instructions for making it). When we were having company, she would first decide on what dessert she'd serve, next what meat, and then "fill in" with casseroles and congealed salads. Believe me, an invitation to Mildred Collier's dining room table was a hot ticket. On the other hand, her meals were fairly predictable. Delicious, mind you, but predictable.

It has occurred to me lately, though, just how many items are appearing in the stores and on restaurant menus that she never got to experience. I'm sure she would have enjoyed most all of them and would have tried fervently to track down the recipe. To my way of thinking, the following terms/items are recent additions to our American way of eating (I'm included some basic definitions for readers from my mother's generation):

panini -- any pressed or toasted sandwich

ciabatta -- a rustic Italian bread, broad and flat

latte -- a coffee drink made with expresso and steamed milk

wrap -- a sort of sandwich made of a soft flatbread rolled around a filling

tortellini -- a ring-shaped pasta typically stuffed with a mix of meat or cheese

smoothie -- a blended beverage made with fresh fruit. It usually has a milkshake consistency.

trifle -- a dessert dish made of multiple layers, typically cake, fruit, custard or whipped cream

blondies -- brownies without the chocolate

salsa -- a sauce, most often spicy and tomato-based, considered to be Mexican cuisine.

Balsamic vinegar, sammies, garlic-mashed cauliflower and tilapia also came to my mind as foods/ingredients my Mother never got a chance to try. Can you name other favorites of yours that have come into being in the past 25 years? Let's make a list. :)