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. :)