Mum's Food is Best

starbelgrade · 23-12-2010 01:42AM #1

Or so the saying goes.

In my case, that's a load of bollox. My Mam had a habit of feeding us mid-week crap like fishfingers, Findus crispy pancakes & scabby frozen pizzas - as if they were food groups.

Any decent food, like fresh vegetables were boiled within an inch of their lives, meats were always overcooked, erring on the burnt side, just in case they were "off" & even stews ended up tasting like sh*t.

The only thing she managed not to ruin was chicken & roast potatoes, which were acceptable, but bland.

So, when people talk of their Mam's cooking & "comfort food", I shudder.... if I'm going to visit, I either eat before I get there, or make sure that we're heading out for food.

On the plus side, I have to say though, that it at least taught me a lesson... if I wanted to eat something tasty, I'd have to learn how to cook it myself, which I did & I came out the other side a malnourished, but not too shabby a cook!

So, what's your Mammy's cooking like?

Millicent · 23-12-2010 01:45AM

I had this exact conversation with a friend before. I told her that for years I thought I hated chicken and couldn't understand why anyone would like such a dry and stringy meat. Turns out my mother just cremated everything.

StereoLove · 23-12-2010 01:45AM

My Mammy's cooking is delicious!:D

KeithM89_old · 23-12-2010 01:45AM

My mam cant cook for shit. Dad does all the cooking in my house or me if they're away.

But my grannys cooking is amazing. I used to walk 3 miles to her house after school just to get dinner.

Millicent · 23-12-2010 01:47AM

KeithM89 wrote: »

But my grannys cooking is amazing. I used to walk 3 miles to her house after school just to get dinner.

Are you sure it didn't just taste good cos you were f.ucking starving by the time you got there? :pac:

af_thefragile · 23-12-2010 01:47AM

Its good at times, at times its survival food...

starbelgrade · 23-12-2010 01:47AM

Millicent wrote: »

I had this exact conversation with a friend before. I told her that for years I thought I hated chicken and couldn't understand why anyone would like such a dry and stringy meat. Turns out my mother just cremated everything.

I used to hate cabbage for the same reason.

brianthebard · 23-12-2010 01:49AM

my ma is a great baker but a pretty poor cook. But at least she didn't just incinerate everything on purpose, so she's mildly better than other people's ma's.

Super-Rush · 23-12-2010 01:50AM

My mammy is better than your ma.

GLaDOS · 23-12-2010 01:51AM

My mams pretty handy in the kitchen, but my dad is definitely the chef of the house. Sunday dinner and Christmas etc are all done by him, to perfection.

Millicent · 23-12-2010 01:51AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

I used to hate cabbage for the same reason.

Me too! And broccoli. And beans.

I think the following Denis Leary quote applies to a lot of Irish Mammies:

There's a big boom in Irish culture right now. I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and I saw a book entitled "Irish Cuisine" and I laughed my balls off, okay? Irish Cuisine? What are we famous for cuisine-wise? We put everything in a pot and we boil it for seventeen-and-a-half hours straight. Until you can eat it with a straw. SLUUUUURP..."Thanks, ma! Where's dessert? Okay, there it is." SLUUUUURP...

:pac:

Einhard · 23-12-2010 01:52AM

My mother's cooking was pure Irish. I think she probably coined that "The only sauce you need is hunger" expression. So what she cooked was pretty plain, but hit the spot nicely, and her gravy was absolutely luvverly. I'd drink it with a straw!!

starbelgrade · 23-12-2010 01:52AM

When I was a kid, I used to think lemons were made of plastic.

We only ever saw them on Pancake Tuesday.

The first time I saw a real one, I couldn't figure out how you opened it without a screw cap.

admiralofthefleet · 23-12-2010 01:53AM

im going to visit my mother tomorrow and i cant wait, she will be giving me a nice big fry thats incredible

Einhard · 23-12-2010 01:54AM

Millicent wrote: »

Me too! And broccoli. And beans.

I think the following Denis Leary quote applies to a lot of Irish Mammies:

:pac:

Someone should tell Denis Leary that he's not actually Irish!!

StereoLove · 23-12-2010 01:54AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

When I was a kid, I used to think lemons were made of plastic.

We only ever saw them on Pancake Tuesday.

The first time I saw a real one, I couldn't figure out how you opened it without a screw cap.

Hahaha!

shinikins · 23-12-2010 01:55AM

My father always maintained that a bit of charcoal is good in your diet. Unfortunatly my mother took that quite literally. I didn't realise that food was not meant to be black and hard as the hob of hell until i started cooking for myself.

Have good strong teeth though

Millicent · 23-12-2010 01:55AM

Einhard wrote: »

Someone should tell Denis Leary that he's not actually Irish!!

And that he's not Bill Hicks, but that's an argument for another day!

alwaysadub · 23-12-2010 02:06AM

My mam and dad were both really good cooks-dad'd do the Sunday dinners cos he loved it, then they'd both do the every day stuff. Didn't appriceate it as a kid though mind you.. I was an awful fussy eater!

starbelgrade · 23-12-2010 02:09AM

alwaysadub wrote: »

My mam and dad were both really good cooks-dad'd do the Sunday dinners cos he loved it, then they'd both do the every day stuff. Didn't appriceate it as a kid though mind you.. I was an awful fussy eater!

Code for "spoiled brat".

alwaysadub · 23-12-2010 02:11AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Code for "spoiled brat".

Ha i wish! I'm the youngest of 8-i was either let go hungry, or left sitting at the table till it was a congeled blob and then force fed it!

Einhard · 23-12-2010 02:17AM

alwaysadub wrote: »

I was an awful fussy eater!

I was one of those people who'd order a burger in McDonalds or somewhere, and then ask for it plain. I'd imagine I tasted quite a bit of staff spit over the years!! Also, wouldn't taste a pizza until I was 21. Couldn't imagine how there could be so many things on it and me not finding at least one that I disliked!

aidan24326 · 23-12-2010 02:19AM

I'm not surprised that alot of people are saying their mothers were crap cooks (even though my own is pretty decent) because it's really only in the last probably 10-15 years or so that Ireland has begun to learn anything at all about proper cooking, with the younger generation being a bit more travelled and having access to more info and better food and just more awareness in general that food doesn't have to be this crap.

I mean when I was growing up in the eighties, if you went to a restaurant you'd probably have chewy overcooked roast beef served with drastically overcooked veg followed by trifle. And that was about fcuking it! And if it was crap you didn't complain, as the Irish didn't do complaining.

AnonoBoy · 23-12-2010 02:26AM

Your Ma is sh*t Starbelgrade.

My Mam's cooking is fantastic!

Killer Pigeon · 23-12-2010 02:28AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Or so the saying goes.

In my case, that's a load of bollox. My Mam had a habit of feeding us mid-week crap like fishfingers, Findus crispy pancakes & scabby frozen pizzas - as if they were food groups.

Any decent food, like fresh vegetables were boiled within an inch of their lives, meats were always overcooked, erring on the burnt side, just in case they were "off" & even stews ended up tasting like sh*t.

The only thing she managed not to ruin was chicken & roast potatoes, which were acceptable, but bland.

So, when people talk of their Mam's cooking & "comfort food", I shudder.... if I'm going to visit, I either eat before I get there, or make sure that we're heading out for food.

On the plus side, I have to say though, that it at least taught me a lesson... if I wanted to eat something tasty, I'd have to learn how to cook it myself, which I did & I came out the other side a malnourished, but not too shabby a cook!

So, what's your Mammy's cooking like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8orUaCJ0GY

Tar.Aldarion · 23-12-2010 02:56AM

mum cooks soooo good. it's because you grow up with it and are used to liking it the way she cooks it

Dangerous Man · 23-12-2010 05:11AM

My mother was a terrible cook; she hadn't a clue. She could barely boil water.

Mahatma coat · 23-12-2010 07:00AM

My Mammy is a spectacular cook, As a kid my friends would generally try to stay around for Dinner at my house, when I was in School she used to bake these little currant Buns, I used to sell them to the other boys, there were occasional bidding wars.

Even in college when I was commuting from home she would make me Sandwiches, one of my friends was so taken with them that when he gave me a lift home once he asked Mammy to make him some

Shenshen · 23-12-2010 09:41AM

My mom doesn't know how to cook anything - anything at all - without dead animal in it.

So I avoid her cooking.

Blazer · 23-12-2010 09:48AM

Mother's a fantastic cook...
From her homemade pizza (mmm), bacon and cabbage, steak. bread etc there's very few restaurant's I find that can match her skills..
Even her fry ups taste better than anyone's.
Looking forward now to getting home for xmas and getting nice food for a few days

Grandkids love coming to stay with her and the first thing they ask is "what's for dinner?", even as a kid the next door neighbour's kids used to come in and try and stay for dinner

ixoy · 23-12-2010 10:35AM

I like my Mum's cooking - enough that I've used most of her recipes since moving away from home, in order to re-create my favourite meals.

Growing up I was fortunate enough to get some Indian meals and Tex-Mex dishes, and I still really like those foods today. Never did get a fondness for Irish staple foods and rarely make them myself.

Turns out now, since he's retired, that my Dad's a very good cook as well. He did a smashing Indian meal for us several weeks ago.

Mum's Food is Best

What's Your Mammy's Cooking Like? 68 votes

Comments