So Who Is Grandpa, Why Does He Like to Cook, And What the Heck Makes Him Think He Can Cook

Part 1

Who is Grandpa?

Why Is Cooking Important?

Grandpa is Larry Walker, a Grandpa who has been doing the family cooking since he was 13 years old (I’ll get into more detail a bit later).

It started out of necessity and then became a passion. During all these years there were some breaks from cooking; like when I was in the military, but I always appreciated food.

I, more than appreciated it. Food is not just filling your mouth, and stomach. Yes, nutrition is important, but just as important; are the benefits you cannot put your finger on.

Made With Love

Such as: food is often made with love, is shared with friends and family, and was the center of many gatherings.

Shared

People all over the world enjoy, breaking bread together.

Good Times

Meals help celebrate births, birthdays, marriages, graduations, holidays, and religious observances.

Bad Times

Family and friends gather to help ease the sting of loved ones moving out of state, out of the country, or celebrating their lives when they move on forever.

Other Notable Food Occasions

The Last Supper

The First Thanksgiving

The condemned man’s last meal
The first meal you cooked for you new in-laws

Part 2

I had a large extended family, my Grandma had 10 children. Two died when they were young, so by the time I came around, there were 4 Uncles and 4 Aunts on that side of the family. They all married and had children and we all lived less than 2 miles apart.

That meant a lot of family dinners, mostly at Grandma’s house. I learned a lot about cooking by helping with the big family dinners.

My Grandma, Mom and all my Aunts were great cooks It was fun to see them in Grandma’s giant kitchen; making those big holiday meals. Besides the holiday meals we got together about every 2 weeks for Sunday dinners.

Recipes Still In Use

 Fifty years later; all us cousin are adults, but we still cook and enjoy some of the family favourites: 

1. Grandma’s oven fried chicken
2. Beef stew
3. Spaghetti and meatballs with sauce that was cooked for hours
4. Oven roasted sweet potatoes
5. Pot roast
6. Biscuits
7. Pea soup
8. Potato pancake

I'll never forget the super desserts, awesome pies, and cakes. Heck when they got together even the orange jello with bananas tasted like it came from heaven.

Why I Started Cooking

When I was 13 we moved to California. My Grandparents, a couple of Aunts with their families, and my brother Bill moved there in the previous few years.

Bill bought a house and invited us to live there. We finally had a backyard and a dog. I will always be grateful for all Bill did for us. Pretty big thing for a 22-year-old. 

My father hadn’t been involved with us for years, he never missed a child support payment, but raising 3 boys was still expensive so Mom still had to work.

Mom could only get a job that started in the afternoon and went to 10 pm so there was no one to do the cooking, Bill worked so I was given the job.

Mom, Grandma and my Aunts gave me lessons, their favourite recipes and away I went. 

Two Cups is a Lot More Than Two Tablespoons

It was nice to know that if I ran into a problem. Help was close. Aunt Joan lived one block away, and Aunt Marie two blocks. 

They were a real help in explaining why my first attempt at making gravy failed. They explained that it was 2 tablespoons of flour; not 2 cups.

I spent the next 4 years planning the menu, grocery shopping and cooking. I learned fast and did a pretty good job. 
That is how I started to cook. Over time I learned more. Like how to prepare good meals on a budget. I learned about tweaking a recipe and good food combination.

There were some funny incidents along the way and some failed experiments that meant dinner at an aunt’s house, but all in all my cooking kept me, Mom and my brothers happy.

You’re going to make someone a great wife

Back in the 60s the male and female roles were rigidly defined. Bill used to tease me and say “Larry, one day you are going to make someone a great wife”. Mom would say “Remember most of the famous chefs are men, and Gus was the cook who made the meatball sandwiches we liked so much”. Gus owned the Italian Restaurant around the corner from us, when we lived in Brooklyn.

In the 60s there was a catch phrase: Nothing Says Loving Like Something from the oven.