Tim Russert

I never watch Meet the Press, so I'm not real familiar with Tim Russert. For some reason, I don't want to be burdened with politics on a Sunday. During the 2000 election Tim Russert and Tom Brokaw were my late-night companions as I stayed up well past my bedtime awaiting the election results. As the night went on Mr. Russert provided some order for my befuddled soul and passionately conveyed the historical significance of that night.

You're probably wondering how this is relevant in a blog about food. Well, about three or four years ago my friend Todd loaned me the book Big Russ and Me by Tim Russert. There's an entire chapter titled "You've Got to Eat" where Tim Russert reminisces about his father's love of food. The following is a little taste from that chapter.

Food came first. When Dad drove a newspaper truck all of those years, he preferred the rural area because he knew some of the farmers and most of the farm stands. In the summer and fall he'd come home at night with large quantities of apples, strawberries, peaches,, cherries, corn, and beans, all fresh and inexpensive, and a treat, too, in the days when you couldn't always find good fresh produce in the supermarket. He loved fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper, and so did I; we had so many around the house that I ate them like apples. Dad brought home far more than we could possible use, and he was continually pressing fruit and vegetables on friends, relatives, and neighbors.

Sometimes, on a Sunday we'd go for a drive in the country. When it was time for lunch, we never went to a restaurant. Dad would find a deli, where we'd buy bologna, bread, and mustard, and make our own sandwiches It was cheaper that way - and better too. But if we passed a friend chicken joint, especially one of the colonel's, all bets were off.

I love hearing people reminisce about food. It's memories like this that remind me that food is more than food.