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| Painting by John Walter, Illustrator |
Usually it was pot roast with potatoes and carrots cooked with it. Sometimes it was pork roast, turkey or ham; then mashed potatoes would be featured. A layer cake or a pie was the expected dessert. Nothing fancy, just good plain cooking and plenty of it.
What a boon for young mothers. Getting babies, toddlers and older children fed breakfast and dressed for church was no small task (ask me how I know!). Arriving at grandma's after church and smelling the feast prepared for her family was a blessing. Babies would be whisked away by aunts and cousins, giving mom a chance to rest a little before dinner.
After dessert the cousins would play together and maybe grandpa would challenge them to a checker game. The grown-ups would linger over coffee and relish some grown-up conversation. Then it was home to nap, carrying a bag with leftovers in it. Grandma always had plenty of leftovers to share "so mom wouldn't have to bother cooking later".
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| Dinner at my Grandparent's 1945*. Child in left corner is moi. |
Those grandmas had a mission to serve their young daughters and sons who were going through the labors of raising a growing family. Those grandmas knew that young mothers are often sleep-deprived and worn out at the end of the week. Of course it was work for grandma, too, but she didn't have to prepare dinner with a baby on her hip and a toddler hanging on her leg. And, when everyone left, grandma could put her feet up and relax without anybody pestering her.
I personally was a recipient of that wonderful mission. God bless those ladies! Hopefully the tradition is alive and well today.
*For those of you who would like to know, my Grandpa is the gentleman on the right with the shirtsleeves. Grandma is next to him and an aunt is next to her. (Don't you love those aprons!). I have no idea who the other people are. I know it is 1945 because grandpa is still alive. He died in 1946. In the ensuing years, I attended many meals at that table and countless more at the breakfast nook in the kitchen.
2 comments:
Oh my, that does sound nice! What a wonderful table Great Grandma prepared - now THAT is a feast!! So lovely w/the tablecloth & nice tableware, too :)
Maybe because you had attended all those wonderful meals makes you the expert that you are at hospitality. Couldn't help notice that in the picture you seem to be the center of everyone's attention... kind of like the Shirley Temple darling :>)
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