My Grandparent’s Kitchen
- Posted on July 8, 2025
The smell of Pizzelles, flavored with anise, cooking in my grandmother’s waffle iron, popping out a perfectly golden brown, tasting warm and delicious
The counter, white with gold diamonds
The cutting board sliding out of its hiding place just under the lip of the counter
The stove, also has a hiding place, slides forward, out from the base
The old saucepan with bulged bottom, used to make a rue, melting the butter and mixing with flour, my grandmother quickly stirring out the lumps
The knotty pine cabinets that grew dark with age, with built in spice rack on the back side of the doors
The tiled walls white with brown swirls, three feet up from the floor like a chair rail
The maroon carpet, ugly, stained and worn, rough to bare feet
The tall white plastic piggy bank in the kitchen corner that my grandfather always put his loose pocket change in and saved up and gave me over $1000 when I grew up. The three of us would periodically dump its contents on the kitchen table and sort and roll. This is how I learned the value of money.
I recently attended a regional burning man event by myself. It was a struggle to set up camp solo and my tent collapsed on me when I was sleeping. Before I could finish my morning coffee, neighbors helped me re-erect my tent. Later that day, I was at the community bar where the bartender was concocting me a drink and asked me if I like anise? I suddenly remembered the dream I had after the tent collapsed and I had dragged my sleeping bag to the car to sleep. It was a simple dream of a stack of Pizzelles, a symbol of my grandmother. I realized I was not at the burn alone, I had my grandmother with me and was surrounded by community. And the drink with anise was delicious!
The smell of Pizzelles, flavored with anise, cooking in my grandmother’s waffle iron, popping out a perfectly golden brown, tasting warm and delicious The counter, white with gold diamonds The cutting board sliding out of its hiding place just under the lip of the counter The stove, also has a hiding place, slides forward, out…