The First Thing I Learned to Cook/ by Jesse Barrabee Parry, Backstage Catering
Thursday nights were always spaghetti nights. Dad would pick up meatballs from the Dietz and Watson factory, and either Mom or Dad would make the sauce. Once I turned 12, Mom went back to work. She divided up the chores, so it would lighten up the load on both Mom and Dad. Since I was old enough, I was now in charge of Thursday dinner.
I was not happy. First of all, I never liked spaghetti and meatballs. I protested to no avail. My Dad gave me my first lesson. One can of whole tomatoes which you crush by hand once in the pot (my favorite part), one small can tomato paste, one very generous glug of sherry wine, and a couple of spices- garlic powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper. This seemed simple enough, nothing fresh to chop, just a few cans and jars to open. After I tasted my first batch, I still didn’t like it.
I figured if I had to make it, I would make it how I liked it. It was just too bitter and acidic for my taste, so I added sugar- a lot of sugar. It tasted much better. My family didn’t like it. They complained until I agreed I would make it the old way. So I tried a different approach. I would make it taste worse so I wouldn’t have to cook it at all.
The next Thursday, I opened the cans and jarred spices and looked in the cabinet for something that I could add to the sauce to make it taste bad without them seeing it. Instant coffee! I see the jar, and knowing it dissolves immediately, there would be no evidence of me tampering with the “original recipe” sauce, plus no one likes it but Mom. I added a few heaping spoonfuls. I expected horrified faces. To my surprise, they liked it! My seven year old picky eater brother even liked it. Whoa, what have I done? I tried to sabotage the sauce when I actually made it better. This single act gave me confidence in the kitchen. I then embraced my role in our spaghetti sauce Thursdays and started helping out more in the kitchen to learn different dishes. I’ll never forget my experiment on that one Thursday.
Editor’s note: This is the second entry in our staff blog contest: The First Thing I Learned to Cook
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