Beware Cooked Chickens!

Posted on January 12, 2022 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Tuesday Poetics - food!
(posted by sarahsouthwest)

So, your mission for tonight is to write a poem about food – about preparing food, or eating food; about family meals, or posh restaurants; about the emotional heft of a particular dish, the meaning that it brings to your table; about something you love or something you loathe. 


On Saturday nights,
Mom worked from
six to ten.  That's 
when she'd leave 
a rotisserie chicken
already cooked.  Dad
was not a carver.  He'd
take that chicken and tear
parts off with his hands.  
It was grand.  We loved
to watch him.  To his
credit, he made a tasty
egg dish, scrambled with 
whatever was around.  It
could be onions, salami,
or sometimes lox.  He called
it Mish-Mosh, and I can still
taste it.

Every so often, Mom would
make her famous Stuffed
Cabbage.  My sister and I wrote
down her steps as we watched.
The sauce was a perfect blend
of sweet and sour.  We have never
duplicated it.

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About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.
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35 Responses to Beware Cooked Chickens!

  1. rothpoetry says:
    January 12, 2022 at 4:14 am

    A great poem Sara! I love the story behind your memories. It is hard to duplicate another cook’s recipe!

    Like

  2. Ain says:
    January 12, 2022 at 7:23 am

    There ard some things you cannot duplicate, but you certainly can describe…v nicely done

    Like

  3. sarahsouthwest says:
    January 12, 2022 at 7:37 am

    I love these memories! I almost feel like I’ve met your dad just through this.

    Like

  4. ben Alexander says:
    January 12, 2022 at 8:48 am

    tear
    parts off with his hands.
    It was grand. We loved
    to watch him.

    I do this too, Sara! Beautifully written 🙂

    ❤
    David

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  5. writingwhatnots says:
    January 12, 2022 at 10:10 am

    Great memories to hold onto. So well written. I wondered, what is ‘lox’?

    Like

  6. Rob Kistner says:
    January 12, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    Those tasty fishes lost to family history… 😦

    Like

  7. danadampier says:
    January 12, 2022 at 5:07 pm

    Family dinners and traditions hold the best memories! My dad use to make a form of mish mash as well… called his self the king of mish mash!

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  8. Ingrid says:
    January 12, 2022 at 6:00 pm

    This is a tasty poem! I wonder where the stuffed cabbage recipe was from? My Slovenian mother-in-law used to make it…

    Like

  9. Gillena Cox says:
    January 12, 2022 at 6:43 pm

    Good memories Sara.
    Happy New Year

    Much love…

    Like

  10. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) says:
    January 12, 2022 at 8:10 pm

    I am forever glad I never had to taste my father’s cooking, not to say my mother’s was any good. I think honestly I am the better cook.

    Like

  11. msjadeli says:
    January 12, 2022 at 10:09 pm

    Nice to have memories of both parents cooking. I love the visual of literally tearing into the chicken.

    Like

  12. Both of us can't look good...it's either me or the house says:
    January 13, 2022 at 3:08 am

    Never had stuffed cabbage but certainly torn a chicken apart more times than I care to mention.

    Like

  13. thotpurge says:
    January 13, 2022 at 9:01 am

    Food memories… wholesome and happy!

    Like

  14. anotherkatewilson says:
    January 13, 2022 at 10:53 am

    Lovely! And we always just tear into a chicken, I have no idea how to carve one 😀 .

    Like

  15. sanaarizvi says:
    January 13, 2022 at 4:48 pm

    This is incredibly evocative. I resonate with; “Every so often, Mom would make her famous Stuffed
    Cabbage,” … sigh yes.. could never duplicate it. 💝💝

    Like

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