I grew up in a traditional home where dinner was served at 5:30 every night.

Dinner always included meat, typically beef, a salad made with iceberg lettuce, a veggie, potatoes and homemade dessert.  Because we lived on the Little North Fork of the Santiam River, and later, on the Hood River in rural Hood River County, we rarely went out to dinner. A casual dinner rarely included Kentucky Fried chicken, though an extra special treat, was a trip to McDonald’s for the original Big Mac wrapped in what looked like a crown. This very special meal could only be had when we made the 50 mile trip into town.

Luckily for me, both my parents were excellent cooks. As better ingredients became available in our local store my mom would regal us with stories of her childhood on the Swiss/Italian border while preparing polenta with eggplant, gnochi, rissotto with saffron and other wonderful dishes.

Fast forward to my family.

Today Shelley and I are fortunate to have access to some of the best ingredients in the world. Through her business and skill as a chef we have wonderful meals at home. The one thing I have in common today with my early childhood (before we had access to good corn meal and aborio rice) is preparing the meal together and eating together. Aside from that, meals differ in almost every way. Meat used to be the focal point of our dinner. My focal point is the opposite: When meat is included, it is smaller, leaner portions. Fish and vegetarian dishes are part of our normal cuisine. And we eat lots of salads!

I am passionate, but finicky, about food and I am committed to a dinner with Shelley during the week and weekends. We typically cook at home, we rarely do take out, and I do not do fast food.