Food for Thought

I was trying to decide what topic to explore with my adult students this summer, and came up with the topic of food. Food is at the center of our lives. even if we don't cook, food brings back memories of childhood, of family and special occasions celebrated throughout our lives. I read in the paper today that City Tavern on East Blvd. has closed and felt a deep sense of loss. My ties to the building go back to my childhood. My grandparents took my sister and me to dinner there when it was the Drum restaurant over 50 years ago, and I spent many Sundays there eating bereakfast with my family after church. More recently, as City Tavern it was the place where I took my Dad for lunch on Saturday afternoons after my Mom passed away. He enjoyed the food and the trip down memory lane. After luch, we often drove down Lynway Dr ( a few blocks from City Taven) to look at my grandparents old house. This trip inevitably brought up stories of family gatherings, picnics under the flowering cherry tree in the backyard, Sunday visits when my grandmother always sent us home with a bag of grapes and a package of lady fingers, among other goodies. My dad has been gone for 10 months now, and I miss our lunches ,I still make the occasional trip to Lynway Drive, but even if they tear down the old drum, Ill still have great family memories.

I digress, back to food- food is our comfort, our connection to each other and the outside world, we love to share recipes handed down from family members, and tell others about our heritage and traditions.

i am going to incorporate this topic into my class. I'm excited and I can't wait to write about the results!