My parents were divorced when I was very young. After my dad moved out, my sister and I would spend most weekends with him and his roommate (a single college buddy with a grand piano) at their condo on the other side of town.

As far as I know, my dad was never much of a cook before splitting up from my mom. And I guess he wasn’t much of one afterward either. However, he did acquire some decent skills; bachelorhood will do that I guess. And Dad is a total gourmet in the sense that he knows and appreciates what’s good.

My dad is also not shy about sharing his opinions. Whether it was in his brown linoleum kitchen, around many campfires, or in the backseat of one of his overly cool vehicles (most likely the doorless Jeep or the Porsche; I believe the Ferrari didn’t have a backseat…um, mid-life crisis), I learned a lot of things worth knowing about food from my dad. Here are some nuggets of his culinary wisdom.

1) To cook freshly caught Brook trout, wrap the whole fish in tin foil with salt, butter, and onion slices and throw the bundle in the coals of a campfire. Put on some heavy deerskin gloves to pull the packets out of the fire. Eat the delicious steamy fish with your fingers.

2) Throw spaghetti at the wall to see if it’s done. I’m not certain this actually works, but it sure is fun.

3) There is a big difference between Brie and Camembert.

4) The very best picnic food is baby new potatoes that have been boiled then cooled and smeared with butter and salt.

5) A slab of cheese, hard sausage, and a few apple slices makes a perfectly acceptable supper.

6) If you’re going to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken, get the Original Recipe.

7) Escargot are not disgusting.

And last but definitely not least: Real Coca-Cola and real Oreos are better than RC and those light brown store-brand cookies. Get the real thing and treat it as a treat.

6 Responses

  1. And Dad taught me about wine pairing. Remember New Orleans? Fancy schmancy restaurant (what was it called?). He ordered a glass of white wine to go with my lobster pot pie — each alone, fabulous, together, heaven.

  2. Your Dad will be thrilled to see the your tribure blog, Bevin. You’re right that he still doesn’t cook much much is awesome at the grill. Although, sadly, we occasionally have to nuke some under-done meat. No matter what amazing food I leave in the frig, he still lunches on apple and cheese and enjoys having a snacky dinner still from time to time. Can’t wait to see you!

  3. Bevin that is an awesome tribute to your Dad! Unfortunately my father had no skills in the kitchen and usually put everything in the blender. The most memorable where the blueberry pancakes he made for the neighborhood kids for our pancake breakfast in Evergreen. Blueberries + blender = green pancakes. No one would eat them, but the Camp Robber Bluejays loved them. At 81, he still uses the blender. Oy!

  4. P.S. I have tried the Kale chips twice, defiantly recommend the recipe to anyone you needs a delicious crunchy snack! Although, I am still trying to get the oil and salt portions tweaked.