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This time, It's PERSONAL
July 27, 2009I just got back yesterday from a whirlwind overnight trip to Plano, Texas.
Why would I go to Plano in the middle of summer, you ask?
Well, only one reason would ever bring me to that particular area of our great state-the Horany Family Reunion!
179 people traveled from all over the country to come to an event that happens once every other year. It is a magical gathering with lots of laughter, more talk, and most importantly, fantastic home-cooked Lebanese food you can't find anywhere in the world.
I anticipated this particular reunion for two reasons. First, it was a chance to formally introduce my husband to the family after our wedding in November. But more importantly (sorry Honey), my first two recipes have appeared in the Horany Family Cookbook.
This is an important rite of passage for any aspiring cook.
I am happy to report that this edition is a little more personal for me. But it's not just because of the recipes I contributed.
Staring back at me on the inside front cover is a picture from a family reunion back in 1929. My granddad, Melvin, is the youngest kid in the picture, but I can find him easily, because he looks so much like my nephews. The faces of other family members in that picture from long ago remind me of my brother and sister, my dad and all his many cousins.
Along with wonderful old photos, the cookbook is full of anecdotes about the family from back in the 1920's all the way up to the present.
So last night, before I nodded off to sleep, I read and re-read these pages, internalizing all I could about the old days and ways.
Sometimes it read like a Hollywood script, with dashing young men going off to fight a war, couples meeting and spending their lives together, family businesses opening and closing.
But I also noticed certain familiar characteristics staring back at me, plain as day.
It was fun to see that I get my passion for cooking from my great-grandmother, Nabeha. My joy of travel-must have been you, Aunt Nittie! My penchant for saving just about everything from paper clips to plastic bags-thanks, Aunt Lorice! Inviting everyone over for dinner parties? I guess I can give my granddad, Melvin, credit for that one. And my love of experimenting in the kitchen and the joy I get from giving good food and lots of love to others? I can only say Aunt Virgie must have influenced me there!
Home-cooked meals, time-honored recipes, and cherished stories from the past are sometimes hard to come by in this fast-paced and hectic world. But luckily for me, our ancestors made it a priority to slow down, enjoy the old ways and spend time together as a family. And even though my granddad, my grandma and many other family members are gone, the stories, the food, the laughter and the love they gave us all will continue to live on years from now.
Posted by Stacy Johnson at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
