Chapter eight of the book my mum wrote about her experience of my grandmother's Alzheimer's starts with this paragraph:
My mother had been a balabosta, a Yiddish term for a person who raises housekeeping to the level of an Olympic sport. In her spotless kitchen, the balabosta cooks gourmet feasts for her family, and when they have finished eating first, second and third helpings, she insists they take leftovers home with them. All this she does week after week, apparently without effort, while wearing lipstick, French perfume, and an apron over her good clothes.
Even on my most house-proud of days, I could never hope to be as good a housekeeper as my grandmother was. But I do like to pretend I am a little like her when it's my turn to do the cooking and I skip from the oven to the table. I can't attribute my lack of cooking prowess to her, but I most definitely hold her accountable for my love of aprons.
(The last one reads: I cook in the kitchen, but I boil in the bedroom.)
9 comments:
I just finished reading your mums book last week. You gran sounded like such a wonderful lady. It's nice to see a photo of her after imagining what she looked like while reading.
It's a lovely post, Meg.
Happy birthday to your grandma.
:)
xo
Awww...Happy birthday nan!! Gee...her recipe book must have been AMAZING!!
I agree Leonie - do you have many of her recipes Meg?
beautiful post Meg ♥
Gorgeous Post. I love me some apron candy!
What a lovely post Meg. Such warm memories.
And I want one of those last aprons. That's too cute!
Lovely post, Meg :)
Such nice words. So lovely and fitting. I miss both
my grandmothers too, one was a Yiddish grandma who also loved stuffing our face with food then giving us leftovers, the other an Italian nona who loved food and cooking for her family. I hope one day to cook as well! To our grandmothers who are always in our hearts.
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