Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are!
Top of the weekend my friends! Today I’m going Foodie! Have you ever heard the proverbial saying “You are what you eat” ??
I researched the origin of this idiom. It is credited to the French lawyer and famous gastronome named Jean Anthelme Brillat Sarvarin. (Yeah I never hear of him too!)
Anyway, he originally wrote ''Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es'', which translates to 'Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are’. Interesting huh?
So if you ate Possum? A story about a man named Jed comes to mind. A poor mountaineer, who barely kept his family fed! Hey he became a millionaire shooting at some food! ?
What about Spinach? A sailor who was strong to the finish. Who was known to use this leafy green meal for strength. It helped him deal with “brutes” in his life. The side effect was his choice of women. But could you really blame “spinach” for that one? Remember it’s “You are what you eat”.
How about Chitterlings and Hog Maws? Personal story, our annual Thanksgiving Day family gathering had this delicacy on the menu. That smell early in the morning at our abode was….well challenging. Now I didn’t particularly care for it. Yet it was a family favorite.
After all, Chitterlings and Hog Maws are items found inside a pig’s stomach. Back story. During slavery days it was the items that were leftover that became a meal. Also Collard greens, Pig feet and Chicken gizzards just to name a few on that list.?
Big mama and her ancestry line, took what was left and made a scrumptious meal out of it. Much like the cajuns of Louisiana who made Gumbo. The original potluck meal when times were tight. It too was exquisitely tasty!?
The ingenuity of “make due” quenches the famine of necessity. You are what you eat” a Survivor! Please don't miss that fact!!!
Do you know the story behind the Caesar Salad?
The salad was created in Tijuana, Mexico, by Italian-American restaurant owner Caesar Cardini. Allegedly, on a particularly busy weekend in 1924, his kitchen was running low on food.?He decided to improvise and throw together a salad with whatever he could find. According to popular belief it’s how the Caesar Salad was created. Survivor!
Finally, the Buffalo Chicken Wings” has a similar story. The Anchor Bar in Buffalo gets credit for the Super Bowl delicacy. However I grew up in Buffalo, New York. As a kid DJ on our local radio station. I knew most of the restauranteurs in our community. John Young’s Wings and Things with the Mambo sauce was on of my favorites. (Also Scottie’s Steak House)?
It was first restaurant, I recall selling this national treat. While making my semi-weekly visit I asked John “why just chicken wings”? The answer floored me “it was the only part of the chicken he could afford to buy”. He went out of business. A reminder we are all living on a wing and a prayer.
Next week, May the chicken wings be with you! May the game live up to the hype and really be “Super”! Donut ever forget this “You are what you eat a Survivor”!