Really cooking in Mazama: recipes through the years.
Recently I was listening to “1A” on NPR, as I frequently do on the 25-minute drive from Mazama to Twisp. The topic was a book written by Chuck Klosterman called “The Nineties.” It began something like this: “When the 1990s began, hardly anyone in America was online. When it ended, nearly everyone was.” Klosterman went on to talk about all those familiar things from the ’90s: “Seinfeld,” Nirvana, Clinton presidency, Beanie Babies, Columbine shootings, compact discs (not the bank CDs we were used to), even “Beavis and Butt-Head!”
It occurred to me that my children are now looking back at the ’90s like my generation looks back at the ’60s. For us, there were shocking assassinations, Vietnam War, Beatles on Ed Sullivan, first Super Bowl, and the Civil Rights Act — images burned in our minds. For them, there was the OJ Simpson trial (the beginning of reality TV), the deaths of Kurt Cobain, Freddy Mercury, Jerry Garcia, AIDS infections/deaths running rampant, Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City. Every decade has its significant moments.
Shortly after listening to the NPR program, I took out two cookbooks that were loaned to me by Louise Stevens, secretary of the Mazama Community Club. As such, she has been entrusted with many documents relevant to the history of Mazama for the last 50 years. She had read my column about my 50-year-old Betty Crocker Cookbook and thought I might find column content in “Favorite Recipes from Mazama” (1979) and “More Favorite Recipes from Mazama” (1990).
Louise said, “The books include recipes from longtime Mazamans like Bess Karro, Elinore Drake, Rayma Hayes, Vera Tawlks, Pat Duncan, Tina Heath, Gloria Spiwak, Donna Burkhart, Bob Spiwak, Mary Ann Stitts, Martha Cram, Kay Reiber and Martha Stewart!” I’m not sure if there was a Martha Stewart in Mazama, or if that recipe was from the “other” Martha Stewart.
I was immediately intrigued with the history of the club. In the 1950s, it morphed from a ladies’ social club to a County Extension Homemakers’ Club, which was called the Mazama “How To Do Club.” I guess they were learning how to do things that they probably already knew how to do. In the late 1970s, when the first cookbook was compiled, members voted to return to the original name — Mazama Women’s Club.
Paging through the recipes, I peered into the decade of the 1970s through the food that Mazama women were preparing. Frequently included ingredients were mayonnaise, Jello, Cool Whip, sugar, canned soups and the timeless use of garlic, butter and onions. Many of the recipes were simply stated, much like my mother’s. In fact, Midge LePont’s Spanish Rice could have been my mom’s. “Brown meat and onion. Pour off grease. Add other ingredients. Cook on top of stove 15-20 minutes. Add cheese and serve.” While Midge states white rice could be substituted for brown rice, my mom said, “Use brown rice (not instant stuff).”
By the 1970s, the fast food nation was in its heyday. Many of us were eating Big Macs, frozen fish sticks, Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and Pop-Tarts. Through it all, my mom stuck to her “whole foods” philosophy, which came back around in force in the 2000s. Documentaries such as “Sugar Coated,” “Food, Inc.,” “King Corn,” “Fast Food Nation,” and “SuperSize Me” opened eyes as to what’s behind the food industry.
The 1979 Mazama cookbook included some unusual entries such as “Where to look in the Bible in categories like “when …,” “if you …,” and “to find …” One might find a scripture if you, for example, “are facing a crisis” or “are jealous” or “impatient.” Seemed like an unusual section in a cookbook; not so in 1979.
In 2022 plastic-free February, the last page of the cookbook is reflective of where we’ve come from. “The plastic binding on this book will provide years of endless service, but like all plastic materials, it should not be exposed to excessive heat. Examples of this would be direct sun, left in a hot automobile or near the burner of a kitchen stove.” “Lasting forever” was touted by the plastic industry as a good thing. Well, we all know where that went.
There were also “Words:” The six most important words in the English language: “I admit I made a mistake.” The five most important words: “You did a good job.” The four most important words: “What is your opinion?” The three most important words: “If you please.” The two most important words: “Thank you.” The one most important word: “We.” The one least important word: “I.” Some things are timeless in any decade.
Next week I’ll explore the 1990 version of the cookbook. It, too, held some treasures.
