On The Children's Menu

Packaged Ramen. Kraft Mac and Cheese.Tyson Chicken Patties (microwaved). These were the bases of my high school culinary masterpieces. They were doctored with other ingredients, and tasted damn good to my teenage palate. My parents were pretty good cooks, and the mealtime ‘fails’ we had experienced during their learning curve were pretty much behind us (but definitely ask me about hamburger surprise sometime!). There I was, feeling pretty secure about my ability to wow on command, when I wound up at my friend Jennifer’s house one afternoon. We were seniors in high school, standing in the kitchen, when she said “let’s make crab rangoon”. I had only just learned about crab rangoon a year or two earlier when my friend, Maria, introduced me to good chinese food. I’m sure I felt uneasy. That was how I responded to things I didn’t know–and especially things that my friends knew and I didn’t.

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