Pecan Pie Memories

Pecan Pie Memories
33

Growing up in Berkeley
As the son of a woman
Who grew up in the South
I ate a lot of Southern cooking.

She hailed from Arkansas
A real hillbilly as they say
An Okie they called her too.
Part of the lost tribe
Of the Cherokee nation.

Part Cherokee, part Irish
Part Scottish, Part French
Part Dutch, and according to DNA testing
Part Nigerian.

I grew up eating southern style
Bacon, eggs, ham, grits, toast for breakfast
Eggs cooked in bacon grease
Waffles or pancakes on the weekend.

I was the only person I knew
That knew what grits were!

Steak, potato, and salad for dinner
My father was from a Germanic Norwegian family
And he was a meat and potato sort of guy.

For lunch, we would often have
Open-face tuna melt sandwiches
Which is a Norwegian thing
According to my father.

My mom liked to bake pies
She made mostly apple pies
Blueberry pies, huckleberry pies.

But once in a while
The true southern in her
Would come out.

She would make pecan pies
Just like you would find
Throughout the south.