Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Nanwich


  • sliced deli ham
  • muenster cheese
  • bread
  • butter

Spread bottom half of bread with butter, stack ham and cheese. Cut in half to serve.

The dish: There are few spots on earth where you feel as faultless and perfect as when you're standing in the sight of your grandparents. When your age can be counted on your fingers this becomes especially true. I bring this up because today was my paternal grandmother's funeral. My father gave the best eulogy I've ever heard and it really got me thinking about my nan as a person. Her own mother died when she was just a young child and she and her sister were raised by her uncle (another exceptional person; you'll hear more about him when I make something with honey). The obstacles my grandmother had to overcome never once diminished her spirit and her unwavering faith was the foundation of her remarkable life. She was valedictorian of her high school class and attended the college of New Rochelle on full scholarship (women in the 30s going to college? In the shadow of the 19th amendment, most were amazed they could just vote). She married my grandfather and raised 4 boys, building a family that's continually growing. 13 years ago she lost her husband of over 50 years and still remained strong, thriving in the role as the leader of the family. Her reward for such a rich and long life was a terrible disease that slowly robbed her mind from her, and yet her faith remained with her to the end. All of this of course, takes a back seat to the memories my younger self holds of the treat of going to nanny and poppy's house. My grandparents did a great job of making sure their home was always stocked with an endless variety of snacks; everything from chocolate milk, to fresh cold cuts to any type of Entenmann's cake you could imagine. One of my favorite treats was a ham and cheese sandwich nan would make where she would spread the bread with butter that was soft from sitting at room temperature. Those early memories were so great that they've left me with not only a fondness of food, but a feeling as to how a kitchen should look; nan too had a red room. All of the goodies my grandmother would give me were prepared in her red kitchen and it always seemed so sharp that when it came time to remodel ours the choice was obvious what color it had to be. It was great having nan visit our home because for someone who was always so svelte she had a great appetite and loved to try new things (that and more than anyone else in our family she loved our cat, Digit). It was great to fix nan a treat from my red kitchen, thinking back on how our roles were reversed from years earlier. In honor of nan, Kim signed us up for a walk to benefit an Alzheimer's association and as I get more information I'll be posting it as comments to this entry. If you'd like to donate or to participate, please do not hesitate to contact us.

6 comments:

  1. very sorry for your loss

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  2. Bobby,

    That was a great eulogy in itself. It comes a close second to your Dad's in church.

    Uncle Greg

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  3. Bob,
    What a beautiful, heart felt tribute to one amazing woman. Yesterday my memories came flooding back to me.When we see each other or speak again, I'll tell you all the stories from when I interacted with your mom back when I was about 13 yrs old. Let us know when you are doing your walk.
    Love, Aunt Kathy

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  4. Anonymous
    Mom says:

    Dad and I just read your beautiful tribute to Nan. I didn’t think there were any tears left, but I was wrong!

    Thanks for such a beautiful remembrance of Nan. She will forever watch over all of you kids (and Digit) as you amble through life, love and red kitchens.

    Love,

    Dad and Mom

    PS I Know!! Dad’s eulogy got to everyone!! He was amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bob,

    Thank you for the beautiful words about Nan and the compliment.

    Love,

    Dad

    ReplyDelete
  6. here's the link to our walk- I'll try to find a neater one:

    http://memorywalk09.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=299921&u=299921-270503251&e=2690394508

    Thanks for any support!!

    ReplyDelete