Thursday, May 21, 2009



I LOVE this story!

There was a young woman who moved out into her own house. While living at home, she never cooked. Upon the move, she returned home to learn how to cook a few dishes. One of her favorite recipes was Pot Roast. So she asks her mother to show her how to cook one.
The mother begins to share her expertise with the daughter. She tells her to salt and pepper the meat well. To make sure the vegetables are all cut the same size. Just before the mom places the roast in the pan, she picks up a knife and cuts about a ¼ of an inch of roast from each end. Then she places the meat in the pan.

The daughter stops her mom. “Mom, I understand why we cut the vegetables the same size – that way they’ll cook uniformly. And I know the reason we salt and pepper the meat all over – and rather heavily, is so the whole roast will absorb the flavor of the seasonings. But why did you cut a little bit off each end of the roast before you placed it in the pan?”
“Because that’s what you do”, said the mom.

“But why?”, questioned the girl.
“Does it help it cook better?”
“Well, I do it this way, because that’s the way my Mom taught me”, said the mother. “But I’m not really sure why we cut the ends off. Next time we go to visit we’ll ask her.”
Several months later the family gathers at Grandma’s house for dinner. As grandma prepares the meal the mother and daughter are in the kitchen with her. The daughter asks her grandmother, “Grandma, you’re such a good cook, and I know you passed all your methods on to Mom, but I can’t figure out why we cut the ends off of the pot roast before we cook it.”
The grandmother turned to her granddaughter and said, “What are you talking about? I don’t cut the ends off before I cook it.” At this point the mother jumps into the conversation and says, “Yes you do! The time you showed me how to make pot roast, you started to put it in the pan, and then you put the roast back on the cutting board and cut about a 1/4 inch off each end of the roast. I’ve been doing it that way ever since”, she declared!
The grandmother stared at her daughter in amazement. "You mean to tell me that every time you cook a pot roast you cut a ¼ inch off the ends? Every single time?” “Yes!” She answered her mother. “Every single -time, just like you showed me.”
“Honey, all I can say is you’ve been wasting a lot of good meat over the years. The reason I did that is because it wouldn't fit in my pan."

Often told within the Jewish religion, this tale is a parable for teaching the importance of understanding the whys of religious rituals. If observance is to have value, the reasons behind a tradition must be appreciated as well as the ritual itself faithfully carried out. Good point...

Today, I am doing a reverse Things on Thursday. You are going to make the list! Think REALLY hard. Please share a thing that you do or believe, but aren't sure just why. Perhaps you have a story to tell!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Keelie! Of course I remember you! It's funny that you left a comment on my blog since I was already thinking of commenting on yours since I found it from Kristi's blog a couple of weeks agao. How are you? Your family is precious! Hope you're doing well! Good to hear from you. -Kelly

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  2. I planted onions in the garden. Not just a few this year. But three rows!! Why? I am not sure; our family doesn't even eat them unless they are disguised in dishes! I just know that when Valentine's Day rolls around everyone says, "Get your onions planted."

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  3. Okay, I finally got one. When you go to a family potluck, why does everyone bring at least two full casseroles? That ends up being like 4 times too much food and it's been happening for years so why don't we just cut the recipe in 4ths or only bring one thing? Cause bringing a couple of things is just what you do.

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