Pasties, II
Back in Idaho for a favorite cousin's wedding. (Another story in itself -- How can a girl who was just 16 suddenly be 25 and on the wedding altar? Who permits this to happen so quickly?). Last night Aunt Sue gathered the family by sending out the universal call: Pasties. They came from miles, from as far as Nebraska and Connecticut (thank you very much) to eat these delicious treats at Aunt Sue's table. The pasties did not disappoint. They were piping hot, filled meat, onions, and potatoes, with an absolutely mouth-watering crust. It is the flaky crust that distinguishes Aunt Sue's pasties from pale competitors the world over. This crust, Aunt Sue disclosed, is made with lard -- real, honest to goodness lard -- and there's really no substituting for it. Aunt Sue informed me that she only used shortening in the pasties she first made for me out of concern that I might not eat lard (although, bad Jew that I am, she shouldn't have worried). Normally, she uses lard, which in this world of trans-fats, partially hydrogenated gobble-dy-gook, is the real thing. It's hard to argue with perfection.
But the memory that stays with me, that will always remain with me, is the way the kids race around Aunt Sue's backyard, playing hide and seek and capture the flag, and then run immediately to the picnic table that's been set up for them for dinner. They grab their pasties happily, without fuss, and even Lulu who has informed us on the car ride that she hates pasties (then asks, "What are pasties"?) chows down. The adults eat inside, drink beer, swap old stories, while the kids do exactly what kids should do: laugh, joke, eat, run, tackle each other on the lawn. We are all family here, the different generations coming together at the pasty table.
Tomorrow, in Liz's wedding, she will have 3 of her cousins among her 5 bridesmaids. I wonder how many places in the United States young women still have such a close relationship with their extended family, how many can drop by for pasties. Do we know what we have sacrificed to live as we do? Do we know what we have lost? Watching my kids run around the backyard with their cousins, I begin to understand.
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2 comments:
I remember the "kids table". Most gatherings I go to now are small enough that the kids don't warrant their own table. I think those kids are missing out.
I never hated the kids table-it made me feel special to have our very own table with relaxed rules for both behavior or conversation. We all need places to go where we can just be ourselves.
I have fond memories of our family's kids table. In in kitchen (where we couldn't ruin the dining room floor) we reigned supreme. Disposed of the hated veggies, discussed disgusting dinner topics, and table manners were minimal, at best.
Yes, living as we do, we're losing out. But what choices do we really have? Parents that retire to Florida, siblings that follow the promotion, cousins that number the 2s and 3s, instead of 20s.
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