Enjoy the small things, every little moment that makes you smile. Jennifer Ryan, The Kitchen Front
Be honest. Excluding the shortage of toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, have we gone to the store and grumbled because it was out of our favorite product or some shelves were bare? Have we complained about all of the inconveniences that this seemingly never-ending, life-threatening disease with all of it variances, plus the interruptions in the supply-chain have caused us? Why us?
Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front addresses shortages from another era. In England, which was bombed repeatedly by the Nazis during WWII, citizens faced shortages and rationing from 1940 until 1954, nine years after the war ended.
This mere fact has made me reexamine my attitude. I appreciate when gentle reminders in a good book can change my point of view. Forgive my grumblings. Let me replace them with gratitude that we are not going hungry, nor facing daily bombings from overhead. The bombs we are enduring today, unfortunately, often have been dropped out of ignorance or uncontrolled anger.
From time to time, when a historical fact comes up in our conversation, Bob challenges me. “How do you know that?” My only answer is “I read it.” And more than likely, I read it in a novel. Although I read memoirs and consider historian David McCullough one of the top authors of our times, I still prefer to learn history wrapped around a story. Time and again, experts tell us that we remember best those facts presented in a story. And the intriguing facts that Ryan presents in The Kitchen Front are probably considered too insignificant to be found in serious histories. Yet, they represent the human spirit.
The plot revolves around four women competing in a cooking contest to become the co-host of the BBC’s “The Kitchen Front,” an actual broadcast during WWII. This contest is fiction; however, the author, in her notes, explains that contests of all kinds - choirs, talent, races - became popular free entertainment for those on the home front.
For a young widow, the contest is a chance to pay off her husband’s debts and keep a roof over her children’s heads. For a kitchen maid, it’s a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For a lady of the manor, it’s a chance to escape her wealthy husband’s increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it’s a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession. While each woman faces crises of her own, the friendship that emerges out of necessity gives each strength. “Me first” gives way to “us together.”
I’ve often said that I read recipe books like novels. Well, this book features an actual recipe from the archives of the show at the end of each chapter. I really don’t plan to try any of them because I don’t have to “make do” with limited ingredients. But each shows the human “can do” spirit that emerges during trying times.
The most interesting ingredient in one of the recipes is good old American Spam. According to Time magazine, the Lend-Lease program allowed the U. S. to ship food items to the United Kingdom, including more than 15 million cans of Spam. While Bob’s Favorite Camping Breakfast didn’t show up in any of these recipes, I share it with you.
Bob’s Favorite Camping Breakfast
1 can of Spam, sliced thinly
4 slices of bread
4 slices American cheese
Small amount of oil
Sliced tomato (optional)
In an electric skillet, fry the sliced Spam in a small amount of oil. Once fried on both sides, drain on paper towel. Remove most of oil. In remainder, fry bread on both sides. As bread is browning on second side, place Spam slices on top and cover with slice of American cheese. Place lid over the skillet to hasten cheese melting. Cut each slice in half. Top with sliced tomatoes if you like. Serve as open faced sandwiches.
2022
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