PASS THE PEAS PLEASE

During a hospital stay, my cousin was given a semi-pleasing tray of food for lunch. Aside from a bowl of chicken noodle soup and lime jello, her plate was brimming with peas next to a burger on a bun. “Lots of peas,” she commented as she balked, “I hate peas.”

I, on the other hand, have warm memories of saying, “yes” to peas when my mother offered them to my father, and had some left for me. I even recall the delectable dish we ate with the peas. Calf’s liver and perfectly sautéed onions sat affixed on the plate next to the peas. Yummy.

I’m stuck trying to recall the rest of the contents filling the plate. I know there was always a starch. Maybe it was my mother’s famous, freshly made potato salad with just the right amount of mayo.

I asked Shari if her father liked peas…he was my father’s younger brother. I feel as though it may have been something that our grandmother served her six children.

As a child, peas and corn, whether plain niblets or summertime on the cob, were my favorite vegetables. I wouldn’t touch Brussels sprouts back then, which can be considered one of our staples now.

My cousin and I were trying to recall if our mothers served asparagus. She thinks not and said maybe it was because they were too expensive. We’re really not sure.

What’s your stance on peas? Do you retain any fond memories of eating peas at your childhood dinner table? Am I the only one?

By the way, to help relive the memories, I ran right to the store to buy a package of frozen peas to heat up for supper. My husband was just happy that I served the peas with turkey tacos and potato salad, not calf’s liver.