GIVING THANKS

One Recipe Club friend recalls the first time she ever cooked a Thanksgiving meal on her own. Her mother, who traditionally did the meal, was recovering from surgery. Her father was working. And her sister was flying in just in time for the meal, but not early enough to help cook.

So our friend rose to the challenge, proclaiming that she would do the entire meal, on her own. No problem — until reality set in. She woke at dawn, shopped, chopped, and soon realized her oven was half the size it needed to be. By the time the turkey wanted basting the chestnut stuffing required baking — and the brussel sprouts were definitely not cleaning themselves!

But things really went south when it came time prepare her grandmother’s famous pumpkin pie. This was the pie recipe that had been handed down through generations. If it didn’t come out perfectly, our friend knew she’d feel like a failure.

Of course, nothing went right. The pie crust was too wet, then too dry. There was too much nutmeg, not enough ginger. With every crimp of the dough her head swam with the imagined voice of her southern grandmother: “A woman is judged not just by who she is, but by what she can bring to the table.”

When the pie came out of the oven, the crust was too brown, and there was a giant crack running down the middle of the filling. Our friend fought back tears, took a deep breath, and set the pie out to cool, knowing more clearly than ever that neither it — nor she — was, or would ever be, perfect.

But when it came time for everyone to gather at the table, something shifted. Her parents and sister praised her hard work and loved the meal. And our friend realized she had somehow been carried on the wings of the generations of women who had cooked before her, without complaining, to serve a Thanksgiving meal to their family. She felt truly thankful for all the work that her mother, grandmother, aunts — indeed all the women she’d known through her life — had accomplished each holiday. Triumphant, connected, and happy, she understood that food cooked with love is its own kind of perfection.

Beautifully told. Thank you Andrea and Nancy.

Visit Beth Fish Reads for more Weekend Cooking.

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship

by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel

Recipes in collaboration with Melissa Clark

Polhemus Press, 2009

My Rating: B+

I’m calling this book a food novel about two friends Valerie and Lilly. They’ve been friends since childhood. As young girls they created a club-for-two in which they exchanged recipes, hence the name, The Recipe Club.

The novel opens when they are both adults. They have not spoken to each other in decades due to some misunderstanding initially unknown to the reader. But Val’s mother has died and, as she goes through her mother’s papers, Val discovers all the letters and the recipes the girls exchanged. The letters and recipes bring back fond memories and Val sends an email to Lilly hoping to re-establish contact. They begin a guarded, written conversation with each other until one of them breaks off contact again.

At this point the novel flashes back to the childhood years. The reader is treated to the childhood letters outlining each girls experiences with camp and school. It then goes on into the teenage and young adult years. We read of their first loves and other things that happened in their lives. We also learn about the parents of the two girls. The reader, at least this reader, suspects that whatever is wrong between the two friends has something to do with the parents.

The remarkable thing about the novel is that it is told almost completely via emails and letters interspersed with their recipes. I say remarkable because I could understand everything that happened just from their letters and emails. This well-written story shows the spirit and character of their lives and the heart of their friendship.

The recipes added throughout the novel are all original. They fit the different ages at which they are exchanged. Some recipes rang a bell for me. For example, the recipe for Dorm Room Oatmeal reminded me of my own experience cooking oatmeal on a one-burner hot plate. There are lots of desserts in here that look so yummy, but you’ll also find meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, soups and drinks. The recipes are not the focal point of the story but they do help to tie it together.

Here’s a review blurb from someone whose radio show I love to listen to:

“Food and love without the schmaltz and warm fuzzies is what kept me turning the pages of this book. Yes, there are recipes, nostalgic and good ones, but the fascination is in how they mark the years of a childhood friendship struggling to become a life long one. If you’re lucky enough to have that one true best friend, you’ll find all the love, prickliness, laughter, blood curdling honesty, and joy here.”
–Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of “The Splendid Table®,” National Public Radio’s food show from American Public Media

I recommend this book for readers who like to read about the anatomy of a friendship with the fun of good food added to it.

I received this book from the publicist, FSB Associates.

You can purchase The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship at Amazon.