Cooking Queens

Considering that I don’t like to cook, it’s amazing that I belong to The Cooking Queens, the rather whimsical title for a group of 5 ladies who meet every month and . . .cook.  Their love of cooking and common thread of having children who attend the Anglo-American School of Moscow, brings them together from points all over the world.  Barbara from Poland, Anu and Paivi from Finland, SoonDuk from Korea, Hein from Vietnam, and former members Junko from Japan, and May from Thailand. I was honored when they invited me to join, not only because they are such warm, friendly people, but because I felt included.  Similar to that middle school kind of excitement, when a group of girls you like makes a spot for you at the lunch table.  The fact that they didn't know anything about my cooking abilities when they issued the invitation, is what Martha Stewart might refer to as "a good thing." 

 When I say I don’t like to cook, I can list a couple of exceptions like making bran muffins and “macaroni” (pepperoni) pizza with our 3-year-old grandson, Luke.  And I’ve gladly done my fair share of cooking over the years for our family of three children.  I even had a system that at least one friend marveled at.  “You mean that you actually plan your meals a week in advance, what you’re having each night?  And you go to the grocery store once a week and buy everything you need for the whole week?” Yes, our children even penned the name, “Long Shopping Day” for our Friday, after-work-and-school trips to the store.  Coming home, I would put the groceries away and stick the menu on the fridge.  Heaven help the family member who suggested we switch Monday night burritos with Tuesday night spaghetti!

 I never learned to cook “formally”. . . with ingredients.  Nothing that resembles how our daughters, Elizabeth and Katherine prepare meals today.  They actually open a recipe book and follow a list of directions, sometimes a page long, to make their own spaghetti sauce.  Not I.  The only ingredients involved in my box of Kraft Italian Spaghetti mix are tomato paste and ground beef.  Using organic and locally grown fresh ingredients, they are teaching me how delicious and healthy dishes can be prepared.

 When it was my turn to cook for The Queens, I wanted to fix something typically American. I decided to rule out hamburgers and hot dogs, opting for something a little more suitable for a lady’s luncheon.  But what is “typically American?”  In Arkansas when we consider where to dine out, options include Los Amigos, New China, Michelangelo’s, Saigon Cuisine and Taziki’s Greek Fare.  Maybe The Dixie Café’s menu selections of turnip greens, catfish, meatloaf or macaroni and cheese might fit the bill.

 Yes. . . Mac and Cheese, a perfect choice! Not Kraft out-of-the-box for this occasion, but the homemade version, using real cheese.  I added a bowl of  Katherine’s gourmet salad, whipped up a batch of Southern cornbread, and sliced a dozen Russian apples for a warm apple crisp.  I was proud, and my guests were gracious.

 The lessons I’m learning from the cooking club, however, are not about food, but friendship, international friendship.  As I share meals with these ladies from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, my vision for world peace is strengthened.  Were our countries in conflict, I know that we could reach agreements over plates of Bulgogi, Celery-Blue Cheese Soup, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Salmon Pie, Finnish Birthday Cake, and yes, Mac and Cheese. Government leaders, having lunch with “The Queens” would quickly discern that true power lies in relationships.