Sharing stories of our elders

On our last soup making session, Saanya asked us to share our favorite memories with our grandmothers in the kitchen. A stew of wonderful stories followed as we chopped and sautéed together on zoom. Marsha remembered her Russian grandmother's eggplant dish; she can still taste it. She's been trying to recreate it for years, describing the taste to chefs to see if they can decipher a recipe. "I never thought to ask her when I could," she said, "I wish I had." Carol shared about her Italian grandmother who used to feed half her neighborhood; whenever someone on the street was sick, they got soup. Sheryl shared a tip from her Jewish grandmother about freezing the cabbage before making stuffed cabbage. And Dominique remembered how her Irish grandmother always had a pot of soup on the stove, an odds and ends soup - throw in whatever you have, simmer on low, serve as needed - the endless pot of soup. We had our youngest participant cook soup with us - Yousuf, 9. He loves cooking with his Nano in Chicago concocting family meals together, and one of his favorite dishes is his Dadi's special pancakes. Wouldn't it be lovely if we used some of this time to listen to our elders' stories, really listen. Perhaps even cook some family recipes together over zoom.