by Pierrette Komarek

Created on: November 10, 2008   Last Updated: November 11, 2008

Frankly I had trouble deciding which was more important "Taste or nutrition" for being French, I always thought that like " Love and marriage" ... the two went together. It never occured to me in all my long years of cooking for my large family, that I should also worry about the nutritious content of my food! That would have put such inhibitions in my daily life, not to say cooking, that we most likely would all have wind up being vegetariens!

Coming from a family of Restaurateurs, where one of the first criteria was to buy all cooking ingredients at their freshest (I once saw my brother refuse to use a salad in his restaurant , that was a couple days old!) I know that primarily, first, you must have taste, after which people will eat almost anything! And nutrition will come along with it, for a meal that is well cooked and served automatically will make the person feel good; Especially if that meal has been taken with a glass of red wine!

It is not for nothing that there is an Italian saying that goes" A day without wine is like a day without sunshine!" Food that is well cooked will hardly ever give heart burns to anyone! that would be an insult to the cook! in fact I well remember years ago,in Italy , where we took our yearly vacations with other Americans, in a Cloister by the sea... I use to bring a salad everyday to our table, for the food served there by the Nuns was rather meager ; So one day, one of the guest told me:" P-Why is it that your salad always taste better then anywhere else I eat them ?" and without missing a beat, came the answer from my husband who said" Because my wife cooks everything with love!" And I think therein lies the secret of good food and nutrition.

When my six children lived at home, and I did a lot of cooking; I used every ingredients, meats etc that I had learned in my mother's kitchen. : And now looking back, I know I was on the right track, as far as nutrition was concerned; For I used all the fresh vegetables, and ingredients that now I know to be good for you... like onions and garlic and parsley abundantly in almost every dishes, fresh tomato salads with onions and olive oil (The only oil I ever used!) Egg plants, artichokes, all kinds of beans, especially garbanzos; Even couscous little know in America then, was a weekly staple in our home, (guaranteed to keep your innards clean!) Lentils with carrots, , fresh split peas soup. Even my "Frigidaire" soup was famous, so called by my kids because I emptied my refrigerator of all left over vegetables, and made a soup out of it!)

And thus my chidren got used to eating everything put in front of them; and I only had one rule, if they didn't like something, they didn't have to eat it, just leave it on the side of their plates -and as far as I can remember, no one ever did..Today they are adults, some still using the recipes they learned at home from Mom (we even wrote a family Cookbook together!)

Soon, Thanksgiving will be here, my daughter whose guest I will be, has already ordered her turkey that will be fresh killed., I will bring the pastries, and each other guest will also contribute something to the festive menu; As we then will give thanks to the glory that is our country.

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