My mother is an excellent cook. When I was a kid, there were 2 things I could always count on in my mom’s kitchen: fried food and baked desserts. The richer, the better. Oh, she could cook anything, but it was the food fried in lard (she would buy the 2 lb pack at Waldbaums) that tasted best.
The health food/exercise craze of the ’80’s came along and she chose to fry in Crisco instead (maybe because Waldbaums wasn’t carrying lard anymore). Now that we’re living in the 21st century, I felt it was time to influence her eating habits (much to her chagrin). I tried to explain white rice was a carbohydrate like bread. I tried to explain why my organic eggs did not give her indigestion like her commercial eggs. And I sent her home with organic coconut oil after her visit at Thanksgiving. There are many health benefits associated with eating coconut oil, but this post is about my Mom, not about plugging a product.
How did I do it, you ask? Well, through example (and public pressure). We fried some chicken in canola oil and some more in the coconut oil. The kids (and she) liked the taste of the chicken fried in the coconut oil best. It was extra crispy and not heavy at all. The chicken was juicy, not dried out at all (mom’s words). I don’t know for sure if she’s still using the coconut oil (because she knows it’s pricey), but I tried.
As I take stock of what I ate then, and what I eat now, it is truly shocking. In 3rd grade I didn’t think life got much sweeter than half a dozen yodels chased down with ice cold milk. Someone pass the sprouted almonds and peppermint ice tea, please…