Food, Truth and Men

The title caught my eye and the dust jacket had a photo of some old geezer in what looked like bib overalls or a denim apron. Neither of which I am opposed to. It least it’s not an Utilikilt (read man skirt). Don’t ask me any more questions about it; I’ll explain some other time.

I must have picked up the book sometime around 1999 or 2000 when I was managing a used book store. Food books were very much in my radar. I bought it and read it and started watching for other copies and buying them when I could. I gave a few away.

Diggin’ in & Piggin’ Out; The Truth about Food and Men by Roger Welsch. There’s a title that grabs you if I ever heard one. Of course, diggin’ and piggin’ spoke to me but then there was this promise of the “truth”. The truth about anything is interesting to me. I seldom get a chance to learn the truth about anything so I hate to miss a chance to catch a glimpse of it in any form.

Food I like.

Man I am.

This book was specifically marketed to me and all those like me, but don’t let that stop you from reading it as it is extremely entertaining. Any man interested in food at all will enjoy it. Actually readers of all genders will find information and humor in this book. It is good solid, as well as liquid, food writing that is just plain fun to read. I hope we never quit reading books that are fun, whether they have anything else to offer or not. Let’s have fun reading. And let’s have fun cooking and/or eating. That’s what Mr. Welsch offers us and I firmly believe that we are giving back when we accept an offering of food and fellowship. You also give when you can receive graciously. Amen.

The author promises us no recipes. At least he says his is not a book of recipes but any lover of food cannot help but inject at the very least a vague reference to how to prepare a favorite dish. Whether or not this constitutes a recipe, per se, is up to you. I am glad he could not help himself, because we lovers of food are always looking for new finds. We crave new dishes to expand our culinary repertoire. We all know how important variety is and the spice of life is most certainly a potent seasoning.

Here is one from the book that I tried and loved. The name of this concoction is Cherry Bim. You begin with a large glass jar with a lid. Perhaps something that was used to store pig’s feet or pickles in a tavern. That would be an appropriate place to obtain one. Buy a bunch of fresh cherries and stem and pit them. You will also need a large quantity of sugar cubes and at least one bottle of bourbon whiskey. Get two. You can always use the leftover whisky. If worse comes to worse, drink the stuff. Sometimes we have to sacrifice ourselves when we choose to expand our food horizons. Begin by layering a thick foundation of the prepared cherries in the bottom of the jar. Next put in a thick layer of sugar cubes. Now repeat until the jar is full all the way to the top. The final stage is to fill up the remainder of the jar with bourbon whiskey. Now that’s not so hard, is it?

The reason for using the sugar cubes as opposed to plain sugar is that it separates the cherries and allows the sugar to mix more evenly throughout the whole jar while it matures. I say mature because you then have to let it sit for at least a couple of months and blend together. The longer it sits the better it gets. When you are ready to sample it you will find a delightful blend of whisky and fruit that is heavenly to taste and quite amazing on ice cream. It is probably good on just about any dessert but has no problem standing up by itself.

I made a batch and kept it for four or five years. When I began packing to move from the east coast to the west, I pulled the jar out from under the cupboard I where I had stored/forgotten it for so long and thought I would just pour it out. But when I smelled it and tasted it I realized that the stuff was not only still good but actually better than when I put it away. I passed it on to my adult son and he shared it with his friends. The whiskey had bleached out most of the color of the cherries and they were a pale whitish pink, but everything tasted great and none of it went to waste.

I suppose in the interest of political correctness I should mention that the author says many things that could very easily be construed as chauvinist or sexist. He voices many opinions that would not hold up under any careful scrutiny by a modern man or woman, but let’s keep one thing in mind here. He’s joking. He pokes some fun at us and should not be taken too seriously. That should not take away from the information and spirit of food fellowship that he offers.

The book is full of great guy food ideas as well as homespun philosophy and general tips on how to live and enjoy life. I believe it’s out of print but if you check out Amazon or any of the other used book sources on the internet I’m sure you will find one easily. I hope you are having fun eating and laughing with friends and family and if you are not, maybe this book will coax you into that wonderful experience we call life. Here’s to both life and food, inseparable.