Home Cooking

Of the things I missed most after leaving Loudon, right behind my family and friends, I probably missed home cooking more than anything else. I always thought my Mom and Grandma were the best cooks in the world, but everybody thinks that, so most likely they were just the best at cooking what I liked the way I liked it.

What didn’t help was going from Tennessee to California and one way of life to another. Plus, the time period would have to be considered since things have changed greatly since then. But almost everything I liked was unavailable --- or at least they were not available in the cafes and restaurants where I went to eat.

Cornbread was almost non-existent, and so were pinto beans. Fried chicken was seldom found, and biscuits and gravy was nowhere to be seen. There were substitutes for some of it. I found Mexican food had refried beans, which was not exactly the way I preferred beans, but they were very good just the same. The chow hall on base also occasionally served corn muffins and every morning they had creamed chipped beef --- good ol’ SOS --- which is known affectionately to some as Same old Stuff and to others as Sh*t on a Shingle. It wasn’t sausage gravy, but it was military staple and was hot and fresh every morning, and I love it just as much today as I did back then.

Bulk sausage was not always available either, instead links were the most common. They were okay, but nothing like the crisp, thick patties I was used to, and when you ordered orange juice you got this frustratingly small glass that held little more than a good swallow. Finally, there was no sweet iced tea. In fact unsweetened iced tea wasn’t all that common either.

If you could see me now it's plain I was able to adjust, but back then it was almost as much a part of the homesickness I felt as the people and place I had left behind.