Midwestern Writers on Food with Peggy Wolfe & Bonnie Jo Campbell

The event that I attended was the Midwestern Writers on Food. Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into and had no idea what to expect other than the fact that it would have to do with food - obviously. However, I was surprised to find that the event had very little to do with literature at all and mostly had to do with food itself. What was discussed was food and different recipes as well as different ways of cooking things such as fudge or even what to use for the crust of pie (Crisco was agreed to be the best).

There was very little reading done or discussion over the book that the author held in her hand - a book I had never read - and so it was difficult for me, personally, to follow along. I did notice that the audience was mostly composed of elderly ladies who knew so much about how to cook - something I am nowhere near an expert in.

Something that did stick out to me, however, was that these ladies held experiences that were quite admirable. It is unfortunate that our generation was unable to experience the things that they did, the way that they tasted fudge in such a way that we did not. They were able to remember the texture, food making up a major part of their lives, unlike the generation of today where technology reigns. It is unbelievable and sometimes you wish that things would not have changed so much so that you could have beautiful memories the way that they did.

All in all, what I took away from this meeting is not something that had to do with food or literature at all, no. Instead, it made me want to appreciate the simple things that existed, that I would appreciate my childhood and would have something to talk about with such love in the future the way that these ladies talked about food, smiles adorning their features. It was something truly admirable.