#216 It's All about the Food

 

This post is centered around food, as is most of our lives. While writing in my personal history journal (a journal I started as a place to write down early and important memories and stories) I saw that a lot of my notes to write about involved food and eating. I don’t have many related photos, but this blog is both stories and photos, so here it goes with the food stories and I’ll see what I can do for the photos.

ROCKET CAFE

In McMinnville, Oregon, while attending Linfield College (now Linfield University) our fraternity house, Omega Delta Phi, was on College Avenue just down the street from the Rocket Cafe. The Rocket was a true greasy spoon with counter seats by the kitchen and booths along the sides and ends. I have no idea what the complete menu was like or even if they had one. I only remember what I usually ate on a trip to the Rocket. Depending on the time of day and what mood I was in, I would either order a “fry two” or a “rocket burger.” It didn’t matter if it was a substitute for a Commons meal (college cafeteria), for a late night study break, or the munchies these were my go to Rocket fare.

American breakfast at a diner in Durango, CO.

A “fry two” is cafe speak for two fried eggs, hash browns, and toast—at the Rocket seventy-five cents (1964 money). Plenty of food for a good price. It was always hot, greasy, and delicious. One time after and all-nighter studying for an exam, I ate one “fry two” and ordered a second which I ate with as much relish as the first. If I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast I’d order a “rocket burger” (also seventy-five cents or a buck and a quarter with fries). There was something special about this burger other than the shape of burger and bun—oblong like a rocket. The sauce was a concoction of ketchup, mayo, relish, and grease. Is there any surprise that I can remember how good the Rocket Cafe food was while I can’t remember a single meal in the Commons.

One of our favorite Scottish restaurants (Boat of Garten).

Pie Night at Anderson's. I had the lamb shank.

The menu at Acorn Garden Cafe in Lancaster, England.

Anne had the hotbed soup.

SCOTTISH BACON ROLL

In Scotland there is a sandwich which is eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snack that is iconic to Scottish cuisine—the Bacon Butty or Bacon Roll. It’s a golfer’s standard clubhouse bar breakfast and a well known hangover cure. The Bacon Roll is a standard soft burger bun, buttered, with an amount of Scottish bacon (more like Canadian bacon rather than the American streaky bacon). In a golf shop tearoom or cafe it would contain a couple of slices of bacon. At the Horn between Perth and Dundee it would have five or more slices. There’s nothing gourmet about the bacon roll, but when it’s dripping with bacon grease and butter, it’s just decadent!

JOHN CLIFFORD’S PORRIDGE

At Merlindale B&B in Crieff, Scotland—our Scottish home—Jacky is a Cordon Bleu chef and John is a traditional Scottish cook. John’s specialties include boiled potatoes, neeps and tatties, mince, and bone soup. But there is one specialty John makes for guests at he B&B who ask for it—Scottish porridge. I asked for it every morning, along with Jacky’s full Scottish breakfast. John cooks his porridge in a special pan—nothing else is ever cooked in that pan—and stirs it in a certain direction with a special spoon (spurtle). John says the porridge should be eaten with salt and milk, but I loved it with sugar or honey and milk. American oatmeal can’t compare.

A light breakfast (after porridge).

Jacky makes paella for dinner.

NONA’S BAKING

My mom’s mother was my Nona (Italian grandmother).  In elementary school I would come home each day to Nona’s and then be picked up by Mom or Dad when they got off work. I remember there were always snacks for me when I got to Nona’s. Two I particularly remember were cheese bread on Monday and chocolate chip cookies on Friday. The cheese bread would be made as a special loaf on bread baking day at the start of the week. Nona baked a special loaf with dry Monterey Jack cheese (less expensive but just as good as parmesan) layered in the middle. If I were on time I’d get a fresh slice of the cheese bread right from the oven. Another treat was fresh chocolate chip cookies made for the weekend. Again, if I was lucky, straight out of the oven. If I stayed over on Friday night I might get another cookie after the Friday night fights on the radio—if Gramps was in a good mood. Nice slices of life.

Fresh breads at the Watermill Cafe, Blair Atholl, Scotland.

ANNE’S DISASTER WEEK

When we were still dating Anne tried to impress me with her culinary skills over about a two week period. [She said I could tell the story and I did marry her anyway. ] The first problem I remember was the day of the meatloaf and baked potato. Anne couldn’t get her stove to work—two hours and neither the meatloaf or potatoes were done. I don’t remember where we ended up going for dinner. The next problem was when Anne was cooking a small roast in the oven (once she’d figured out the stove). After a while we noticed the smoke and then saw the flames coming out of the back of the oven. We got the fire out, but the charred mess was inedible. Again, I don’t remember what dinner was. For the next attempt Anne made a big pot of clam chowder (pretty safe, huh), but couldn’t find heavy cream at the store and thought it would be alright to substitute whipping cream. What we ended up with was pot of sweet clam chowder and another dinner out. The next day Anne didn’t cook—I took her out to dinner. Fifty-five years later we can still laugh about a week of dinner disasters.

No disasters here. Chicken on the Bottle made by Annie from Romania and Anne/

Anne never has a disaster when she make Earthquake Cake for pudding.

Our favorite last meal of a trip at Edinburgh's Mussel Inn.

THE SEAFOOD PLATTER IN GAIRLOCH

We’d played golf at Gairloch Golf Club on the west coast of the Scottish highlands. It’s a lovely 9-hole course, but it’s so far out of the way that we had to arrange a night at the local hotel after golf. We’d heard the food was good in the hotel pub so we were looking forward to the local seafood treat. The restaurant was filled with hotel guests and locals looking for a meal out. Anne ordered the fish and chips, always a safe bet. I felt a little adventurous so I ordered the seafood platter—several different type of seafood at a really decent price (about $20). When the waitress brought out our dinners the whole pub erupted with cheers and hoots. The giant platter came with four lobster-size langoustines, clams, mussels, white fish, salmon, a stuffed crab shell, and several unknown fried fish dishes. All this with at least two types of potatoes, three salads, and veg of the day. As the waitress set down my feast, a local shouted, “No pudding for you until you clean your plate!” Even I had to laugh at that. When I was done with about a fourth of the fish, I looked at the menu and was right, it didn’t say serves six.

No pudding for me.

I hope the stories were worth the wait.

NEXT: Something from the Southwest