Photography ... astronomy ... art ... design ... technology
(... and the odd rant)

All of these make my world go 'round, to some extent, and they will all be found here at some time or other. Some of the photography can be purchased from my Redbubble site. I can also be found at Tempus Fugit (no longer being updated).

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just like Grandma used to do it

There is a certain delight to be had in using a device that provokes your children to say "what's that?" - not because they haven't yet been introduced to one in school, but because they never will. I decided to make a meatloaf tonight (I'm no expert at it, this being only the second time I've done it. Bravely, I'm flying blind this time, as I can't be bothered to look out the recipe, wherever it might be!). Anyway, the meat was already minced, but I decided to mince the other ingredients - bread & vegies. It's such a satisfying process, and takes me back 40-odd years, when my mother would get the mincer out every Monday, to reduce the leftover Sunday roast to rissoles. I still love to scoff cold minced meat; there's something very pleasing about the texture (and taste). Now I think about it, the tadpoles in the garden also loved a bit of minced meat, as they nibbled furiously at small bits dropped in the water.

This one is a bit more decorative than the one my mother used (hers wasn't coloured), but it does the same efficient job.

Of course, one of the pleasures of the mincer was being allowed to turn the handle and watch the pulverized food pour out of the front. It's also very satisfying, just feeling the mechanism chew through the food as it does. This hasn't changed; I don't bring out this wondrous machine very often, but always enjoy the process. I think I probably bought the mincer simply so that I could relive that happy memory. Strange though, that neither of my children wanted to try it tonight, but then I suppose there's little fun to be had in using something that doesn't have LEDs, push buttons and a motor.


They say youth is wasted on the young; is that also true for simple pleasures?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Duncan,

I saw your meatloaf adventure, and I actually have come across a mincer. Ever heard of falfel? It's a food that we make out of minced chick peas that have been soaked overnight. The mincer was really big and heavy, made completely out of metal; it was an adventure just to assemble it! We don't have one here in the U.S., and I can't imagine finding one here either.

Peace.

Duncan said...

I've heard of falafel - assume it's the same thing - and have eaten it a few times (not for years though).

You don't surprise me that it might be hard to find a mincer in the US. I read a statement recently, something like "a device that everyone has in their home - an electric can opener." Well, they might be commonplace in the US, but here, I'd expect most folk to use a manual one. Interesting what we take for granted!

Stella Orbit said...

Our mincer looks remarkably like your mincer. It does the same remarkable job too. It is a single purpose piece of equipment and I am not a fan of the washing up, but when you need to mince, it's the only thing!

Here's to cottage pie!