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Patriotic Palates
| Article
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19242 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1991 |
832 Words |
| Author
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Linda Bauer
Linda Bauer is the author of The New American Sampler
Cookbook, published by Kent State University Press. |
Ever wonder what could be cooking in the kitchens of our congressmen, senators, or even in the grandest home of all--the White House? Surprisingly, the question never occurred to me, at least not when I interned on Capitol Hill with Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman. Occur to me it did, though, in a rather roundabout way.
During my senior year at college, while I student taught in Bogota, Colombia, I saw the despair of the poor, the tremendous difference between the haves and the have-nots in that very beautiful country. I used to idly wish I could do something to help. The desire came back more strongly when I later found myself living in Puerto Rico, the wife of an American Army officer. We helplessly watched the plight of the poor and wondered what we could do.
Then one night, I got my answer in a dream--that's right, I actually dreamed of a book featuring the favorite recipes of the president and members of Congress, a book whose proceeds could help feed the hungry. I loved the idea and started gathering material. Several responses from Capitol Hill came surprisingly fast. The great diversity of the first seventy or so recipes I received convinced me to proceed with the project. I contacted my congressman and my senator, and they urged their colleagues to contribute. Soon I was getting up at four in the morning to type recipes.
The book, The American Sampler Cookbook, brought in thousands of dollars for the famine relief fund. The experience was so rewarding that I planned a sequel. This time the book would include, besides recipes, comments from the contributors on their favorite dishes and would be called The New American Sampler Cookbook. And part of the proceeds will be used to fight world hunger through World Vision, a Christian child care and development agency.
I had some hilarious and some nerve-racking experiences, both while collecting material for the book and while promoting it. When members of Congress called with their recipes, funny things sometimes happened with the kids. During one call, one of my sons decided to pick up the phone and click it up and down repeatedly. During another, this one from a senator, my youngest picked up the extension to reveal that he needed help in the bathroom. Was I embarrassed! But the senator just chuckled, saying that his grandchild was at that stage too. Moments later the phone clicked again and a little voice asked, "Does this mean I don't get a surprise?"
Speaking of surprises,
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