Reading Wendell Berry’s story made me not only think and remember, but also made me begin to crave a pie! He does such a great job describing this well known scene of a grandmother baking a pie. I could almost smell my own grandmothers pie right in the dorm room. It put a big smile on my face to think of this.
I love his quote “But knowledge grows with age, and gratitude grows with knowledge”. This particularly makes me think and makes so much sense. I think he phrased that entirely too perfectly. You learn so much as you grow up and age and you also develop a certain gratitude for things. This is near and dear to me especially with experiences even this summer.
Working on an orchard and rooftop garden with no previous knowledge of planting, harvesting, and the work that goes into this process, I have not only gained so much knowledge which has come with the aging of days and hours spent at the orchard, but i have also grown a special gratitude in which I can truly be thankful and respect the fresh blackberries I got to take home this week and the a gratitude in the older lady I work with that can tell me what herbs exactly make a medicinal tea to help cure my sore throat, or which grass to rub on a blistering sunburn. These ordinary facts of life for people like her, are almost a few years of knowledge and gratitude for me. Just like the grandma in this reading had such an ease and lifetime of skills that were a lifetime away from the grandson. Its all a learning and sharing process through life, that a lot of times I think most people forget to acknowledge and think about.
Mady, I completely agree with you that the learning and sharing processes that we are a part of are particularly relevant to our understanding of food. While I’ll always be learning how to cook and bake, I am grateful that my mom let me help in the kitchen at a young age. Much of what she has taught me, she learned from her mother, my grandmother. As I got older, I learned to enjoy preparing and sharing family meals and developed a greater appreciation for the food on my plate. The more I knew, the more grateful I was for the time and energy spent preparing it. We learn so much from simply doing, and I think that is important to keep in mind, especially when we are trying to understand the place and context of our food.
I appreciate your post, and was also thinking about my grandmother’s brownies, which she still does every week and i enjoy baking them with her. I to found that quote at the important center of the chapter. Unfortunately we take much for than knowledge and gratitude for granted, and we overlook basic connections that enable us to flourish. I agree with you that the key is learning and sharing, and building strong and healthy relationships with one another. Enjoy the orchard and gardening!