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DocuSign Envelope ID:A7B705FD-OEDD-4AC5-8764-8905D8B8991 F <br /> They cause nonbelievers to beg they not be disturbed,much less eaten. Devotees dig <br /> them with special hoes, follow old paths to patches, and harness social media to spread <br /> news of early sightings each spring. <br /> My mother's family was not enthusiastic about ramps, only occasionally bringing some <br /> home to freezers after trips to community festivals. Still,the family had its own smelly <br /> food traditions. The cloying flatness of my grandmother's boiled cabbage hit my senses <br /> as soon as I reached the porch on the way into her kitchen on winter days. It stayed in my <br /> nose no matter how much rich macaroni and cheese or fresh angel's food cake my eight- <br /> year-old self tried discretely to sniff while eating. Pickled beans,beets, carrots, and <br /> onions offered their own twitch to the nose, sometimes accompanied by the boss of them <br /> all: kraut. I have an uncle who still swears by his dose of apple cider vinegar every day, <br /> the uncorking of which can overpower a room. Even the longstanding family prescription <br /> to settle a troublesome belly, fresh buttermilk,wafts tendrils of sharpness into the air and <br /> causes those spots on either side of your throat to catch tightly as it slides down to coat <br /> your insides against further twinges. Today,people exchange leads for where to find the <br /> best, strongest,richest buttermilk for sale like they are stock tips—guarded, rarely shared, <br /> and robustly valued. <br /> In the 1970s,though,recipes in our house were more likely from Southern Living than <br /> old mountain knowledge; bridge party food reigned as the pinnacle of food preparation; <br /> and cheese in western North Carolina was rarely adventuresome. It was American, and it <br /> was orange. For special treats mild,rubbery "Swiss" or gentle, inoffensive"cheddar" <br /> appeared, but this was before even the relative wildness of the Havarti years. Bleu cheese <br /> dressing was "blue"and creamy but not fragrant. Hickory Farms might add the tiniest <br /> bite to their cheese balls as a holiday special. Occasionally,my mother and friends <br /> sprinkled essence of cayenne into the cheese straws but only for rare evening bridge <br /> parties, and never too much. <br /> The Gift of Crisco <br /> Cathy Cleary <br /> As a vegetarian I used to be curious about my husband Reid's interest in meat-eating- <br /> pork-eating in particular. I remember watching him across the dinner table as he closed <br /> his eyes and made emphatic pleasure noises while chewing slices of sausage. I wanted to <br /> understand. <br /> Reid loves to eat, and actually, I love to cook with him in mind. I love to feed anyone,but <br /> he might be my favorite person to think about while I'm exploring flavor combinations. I <br /> 9 <br />