Since bringing this blog out from hibernation, I’ve noticed that I have some posts that have been sitting in the hopper for almost 2 1/2 years. One I thought worthy of bring forth is mention of a blog post from Michael Gilleland’s Laudator Temporis Acti in which a brief list is given of the number of instances Kenneth Roberts wrote on baked beans, ranging from his writings of his grandma’s kitchen in Good Maine Food, to his essay titledAn Inquiry into Diets, and throughout his various novels.
Kenneth Roberts was unashamedly fond of food, particularly his grandmother’s food, which seemed to be his standard for anything he ate. He loved his grandmother’s ketchup (“I became almost a ketchup drunkard; for when I couldn’t get it, I yearned for it.” “Grandma’s Kitchen in The Kenneth Roberts’ Reader). He even gave detailed instructions on how she made the ketchup.
Roberts was also fond of his grandmother’s baked beans (the subject of Gilleland’s post), for which he provides instructions on how to prepare. He introduces the instructions with the following:
To bake one’s own beans, in these enlightened days of canned foods, is doubtless too much trouble, particularly if the cook wishes to spend her Saturday afternoons motoring, playing bridge, or attending football games (“Grandma’s Kitchen”)
Roberts’ sharp wit and dry sense of humor extends beyond the current events of his day to food and its preparation! Interestingly, while appreciation for Roberts’ work in historical fiction has waned over the years (with exceptions, of course), it seems the web is abuzz over Roberts’ writings on food. Hopefully one’s exposure to Roberts’ writings on food opens their eyes to his other works.
Filed under: Good Maine Food, K.R. in the Blogosphere, The Kenneth Roberts Reader | Tagged: Baked beans, beans, food, Good Maine Food, Laudator Temporis Acti, The Kenneth Roberts Reader | 2 Comments »
Kenneth Roberts - The Unofficial Site 