Kitchenary

Birth to Zucchini

In the autumn of her life, Landis harvests the stories of her seventy years. Here are stories of friendship and forgiveness, heritage and hospitality, generosity and gratitude, loss and love, and the people of a lifetime with whom she has broken bread. The memoir is a series of key words arranged alphabetically to construct a dictionary of her life. She coins the work "Kitchenary" to link the significance of food, its flavors and aromas, to memory. Because food evokes strong emotions, it recalls people and places to mind. When Landis tastes the smoky tartness of hot bacon dressing it conjures up a picture of her mother gathering the early spring shoots of dandelion along the farm fencerows to make a green salad. Food is the theme that binds the essays together. Realizing how our need and enjoyment of food remain constant, even though many aspects of family life change, she uses this medium as the connecting point across generations. Fifty-seven recipes are included, all from the kitchens of Landis, her family and friends.