First Draft
Food 1:1 / A Recipe for Memoir
Ingredients That Can't Be Measured
The request is always the same ... birthday pie, not cake. This year he asked for apple pie.
If it was my choice, I'd go with mincemeat (the dried fruit version), but when it comes to making pie ... blueberry, pumpkin, or even cherry, it's the apple that gets my attention.
It's the one overflowing with ingredients that can't be measured.
The one that makes me think of my mum peeling ribbons of peel with each apple. And my grandmother, whose voice neared a whisper when she told me she used only half the white sugar measure, balancing it with half brown sugar—despite what the recipe called for.
When I make the crust I think of my friend who is a baker. Her recipe includes a splash of vinegar. And another, who shared her mother's recipe. I thought it was a family tradition. It's not. Her mother got the recipe from her hairdresser. That recipe includes an egg.
I'd never added an egg to my pie crust. Yesterday I decided to give it a try.
What a pie.
The crust was flaky and tender and the filling as sweet as ever. The perfect blend of ingredients ... some that can be measured and so many others that can't.
If it was my choice, I'd go with mincemeat (the dried fruit version), but when it comes to making pie ... blueberry, pumpkin, or even cherry, it's the apple that gets my attention.
It's the one overflowing with ingredients that can't be measured.
The one that makes me think of my mum peeling ribbons of peel with each apple. And my grandmother, whose voice neared a whisper when she told me she used only half the white sugar measure, balancing it with half brown sugar—despite what the recipe called for.
When I make the crust I think of my friend who is a baker. Her recipe includes a splash of vinegar. And another, who shared her mother's recipe. I thought it was a family tradition. It's not. Her mother got the recipe from her hairdresser. That recipe includes an egg.
I'd never added an egg to my pie crust. Yesterday I decided to give it a try.
What a pie.
The crust was flaky and tender and the filling as sweet as ever. The perfect blend of ingredients ... some that can be measured and so many others that can't.
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The foods we eat, cook, and share offer endless story ideas.
In Ruth Reichl's story, "Writing With Ghosts," she writes about the rush of memories that come with cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Whenever I set a holiday table, I think of my grandparents and place settings that include two forks—and cloth napkins.
What are your food stories?
What food do you turn to for comfort? What about that dish you love but can't replicate because your aunt or friend won't share the recipe. Or that dinner disaster. Was it the first meal you cooked for company? A business lunch where you landed the job?
The foods we eat, cook, and share offer endless story ideas.
In Ruth Reichl's story, "Writing With Ghosts," she writes about the rush of memories that come with cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Whenever I set a holiday table, I think of my grandparents and place settings that include two forks—and cloth napkins.
What are your food stories?
What food do you turn to for comfort? What about that dish you love but can't replicate because your aunt or friend won't share the recipe. Or that dinner disaster. Was it the first meal you cooked for company? A business lunch where you landed the job?
What to do with titles?
When I decided to reference Ruth Reichl's article, "Cooking With Ghosts," I knew it should be set in quotation marks. And the title of the magazine, Gourmet, where she was editor? Italics.
Though I did double check.
If you reference a book, album, or song in your writing, do you set it in quotation marks, italic, or just plain text?
If you're not sure whether your title should be set in italics or quotes, check. And while you're at it, be sure you have the title and author's name right, too.
A quick search online will probably get you the information you need, but beware of the source.
The Chicago Manual of Style is the preferred style guide for editors and publishers and probably the best one for you if you're writing personal essays, memoir, a book, or blog.
When I decided to reference Ruth Reichl's article, "Cooking With Ghosts," I knew it should be set in quotation marks. And the title of the magazine, Gourmet, where she was editor? Italics.
Though I did double check.
If you reference a book, album, or song in your writing, do you set it in quotation marks, italic, or just plain text?
- Major works like books, magazines, and album titles are set in italics: Why I Wake Early, a book by Mary Oliver.
- Song titles, poems, and chapter titles are set in quotes: "Freshen the Flowers, She Said," a poem by Mary Oliver in Why I Wake Early.
If you're not sure whether your title should be set in italics or quotes, check. And while you're at it, be sure you have the title and author's name right, too.
A quick search online will probably get you the information you need, but beware of the source.
The Chicago Manual of Style is the preferred style guide for editors and publishers and probably the best one for you if you're writing personal essays, memoir, a book, or blog.
prepare, make, fix, brew, nuke, roast, saute, scald, simmer, stew
Cooking terms are as varied as the foods we eat. When describing what's happening, ask yourself if the word you're using is the best possible word. And consider using a thesaurus. Not to find bigger, better words, but more accurate words. Here are a few relevant terms you might find in recipes ...
Keep writing, you're doing great.
If you have questions or comments, send them along, I'd love to hear from you.
And remember, people love stories and you've got some good ones.
If you have questions or comments, send them along, I'd love to hear from you.
And remember, people love stories and you've got some good ones.
p.s. Need a way in? Download the Short Story Inventory and start with key elements of your story.
Short Story Memoir
First Draft | Food 1:1 | A Recipe for Memoir
Christine Richards
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