| Old Grandpa Evens had everyone come over for | | | | (or whatever), and if it was well enough, and it |
| Sunday dinner, although it was more like Sunday | | | | sizzled, in an inch of water, he'd turn it back down, |
| lunch. And on Saturdays, he'd take his grandson, | | | | until he felt it done, then wait a few minutes for it |
| Chick down to the market, and over to the | | | | to settle. |
| butcher's shop, and he'd look for a good piece of | | | | He liked beef ribs (and often put tomato sauce in |
| beef, perhaps a rump roast, and or round roast, | | | | the pan when he cook it, and cabbage, potatoes, |
| his plans were simple, to cook it slowly on a low | | | | onions, mixed vegetable around the roast and |
| heat which prevented any gristle form getting too | | | | ribs); and pork ribs and/or sausage around a pork |
| though, this of course was not used on prim cuts, | | | | roast. And if you didn't eat a good portion on |
| it would have made the meat too mushy like. | | | | those Sunday afternoons he'd not be happy. |
| When I watched him cook all those years, it | | | | Nothing was fancy, just a lot of love and tender |
| looked so simple, and it was for the most part, | | | | care and waking up early to do the cooking on |
| just patience. He liked bones and fat on every | | | | Sunday, and of course the Saturday shopping. |
| piece of meat, more flavors he'd say. For his pork | | | | And then he'd call everyone up, to make sure the |
| roast he'd pre heat the oven keep it low, perhaps | | | | dozen or so family members would be there on |
| 350 F, no top covering the meat for an hour or | | | | time, and they were, for a decade or two. He |
| two, then he'd check the meet every half hour, | | | | liked hard bread, darkened on the top-crisp like, he |
| put the cover on so it wouldn't burn or dry the | | | | always said: a meal isn't a meal unless you got |
| meat out. Let the meat sit for a few minutes | | | | bread. Funny, I find myself saying that nowadays |
| then bring the whole thing in a try and put it on | | | | also. |
| the table for everyone to pick and choose. | | | | When he made pork ribs and sourkrought that |
| Perhaps the pork roast was three to four pounds. | | | | was the best of the lot. He'd cook a large portion |
| With ribs on the side, and potatoes, and | | | | of those ribs in a large kettle of water for about |
| tomatoes, and he'd have an inch of water in it, | | | | three or four hours, during that process he'd fry |
| served as juice from the meat, and fat and | | | | onions, and then throw his rinsed sourkrought in |
| bones, and he'd have carrots in and around it, and | | | | with the onions (taking the bitterness, out of it), |
| just a few slices of garlic, no more, everything | | | | cook for a half hour or so, and then throw all that |
| natural. And you could smell it throughout the | | | | into that kettle of boiling water and ribs, the juice |
| house, in the summers even in the backyard, | | | | was great, the ribs fell off the bones pert near, |
| when the main door was open and the screen | | | | and you had your simple but delicious afternoon |
| door was used. | | | | dinner. |
| He'd pick his pork and beef out at the butcher's | | | | I guess it's all those little, and simple things in life |
| shop, and if it was chicken, he'd go to the | | | | that make life worth living, that comes to mind |
| market, make sure the chicken was fresh, | | | | most often, the few and in-between main events, |
| wanting the death of the chicken not to be over | | | | well they are short lived at best, and although |
| six hours old. He'd cook the meat three to four | | | | remembered, they seem to hold less |
| hours at a low heat, and just the last hour he'd | | | | importance-in the overall scheme of things. |
| turn the oven up, as if to brown the top more | | | | |