CANNED OLIVES AND JARRED MUSHROOMS
There’s something exciting about opening a can of black olives! It fills me with a cozy feeling of satisfaction, while I also tingle in anticipation.
I think it’s because olives were such a special treat for me as a child. My mother, having grown up in the Great Depression, was normally frugal. Olives were a luxury, reserved for holidays. So, opening a can of them was rare and I savored every last one, though unfortunately I had to share them with everyone else.
I remember when I was very young the olives contained pits. Worried I might choke, my mother cut the olives off the pits and gave me the pieces. I’m sure it wasn’t a task she relished, but she fiercely guarded the safety of all her children.
After a time, the olives came with the pits already removed. I’m not sure if pitting olives was a technology perfected during my youth or if my mom just got tired of cutting them for me. Maybe by then my parents advanced another rung on the prosperity ladder and could now just afford them. It’s interesting how people measure their wealth.
I discovered a clever way to eat pitted olives which garnered me some small status of celebrity. I placed an olive on the end of each finger and ate them from my fingertips. My family routinely requested I entertain them with this performance. I quickly realized I liked performing. My family then quickly discerned which behaviors of mine to encourage and which to ignore.
Perhaps all small children who like olives discover this trick. But, I was the youngest. If my siblings did that trick, I didn’t know about it. Regardless, it was now my turn to shine. Old tricks are still creative when discovered for the first time by a new generation.
Another treat I loved during holidays was gravy made with jarred mushrooms. Gravy is good by itself, but the mushrooms elevate it to a delight. It’s a tradition I carry on today.
Once when talking with a friend about cooking, mushrooms entered into our discussion. She emphatically stated, “Fresh mushrooms are so delicious! Why would anyone use jarred?”
That made me think. I love fresh mushrooms and use them for just about everything else I cook, but in gravy I use jarred. That’s the way mamma made it and it’s the way I continue to make it.
The next time I made gravy I intentionally used fresh mushrooms. They added a nice flavor and the texture was pleasing, but it felt wrong. Something was missing. Then I realized what it was. It wasn’t the flavor or the texture, the gravy was missing nostalgia.
Jarred mushrooms in my gravy provide a link connecting me with the warmth of my mother’s love. The love is always present and all I have to do to tap into it is remember. But, the mushrooms act as ritualistic tools which trigger subconscious feelings; the same way incense burned during religious ceremonies triggers deep rooted beliefs.
I went to the pantry and opened a can of olives.
If you're enjoying this over coffee, tea, or whatever, please consider buying me a cup! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
