1876 - The Taste of Life

 

The Sunday Whirl presented these twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece.  

taste summer sweetness snap rush half resin turn melts luck passion hand

dVerse Poet's Pub has the prompt "Comfort Food".

The Taste of Life

Preamble

I have been lucky, blessed

With a family that cooks—

A passion that nourishes.

I

Apricots

The early fruit of summer.

My mother would slice them

Onto fresh, buttered bread,

Sprinkle on cinnamon

And a little brown sugar

For added sweetness.

Served on pine floorboard off cuts.

The taste has been stored for a lifetime.

II

Gravy beef,

The cheapest of cuts.

Slow cooked until it melts—

A rich, gelatinous meat,

Served with sliced potato

And mum's special coleslaw:

Half cabbage, half tinned pineapple.

The taste has been stored for a lifetime.

III

Mrs Kier.  No first name.

Granny’s sister ironed her shirts

And was given the recipe

For a rich dark fruitcake.

Granny would regularly turn out

A cake, sometimes iced, often not,

For all family occasions.

Hand mixed, no rush, delicious.

The taste has been stored for a lifetime.

IV

Burnt butter.

Sounds a disaster but it’s not.

Burnt Butter biscuits

With half an almond on top.

The smell is rich, unique, 

And should they cool—

They snap 

And crumble as you eat them.

The taste has been stored for a lifetime.

Postscript

The taste has been stored for a lifetime.

But, in truth, the recipes live on—

In the repertoire of sons and grandsons.

The people too—my mum, my grandma.

Who else but us now remembers Mrs Kier?

◊

Print this post