Jude's Culinary Journey

The runaway

My dad and I had an argument while he was helping me with some arithmetic problems I had brought home from school. I wasn’t following his instructions precisely the way he wanted me to. To make …

Japanese in Mexico

Years ago, my sister, Janet, and I traveled to New Mexico. We fell in love with that part of the country—the colors, the Native people, the history, the handicrafts, the mountains and striking …

Consider the egg

There’s a farmer within walking distance from our house who, many years ago, affixed a crooked sign to a tree on his property advertising “Farm eggs 4 Sale.” Getting to those eggs …

Staff meal

Our seventh and lengthiest stay in Oaxaca, Mexico, took place this past winter. Smack in the middle of the pandemic. My sister Janet and I struggled over our decision; everyone we knew, with the …

A bumper crop

Some of you may have followed my Country Kitsch column in the now-defunct Towne Crier newspaper, or Tales of the Scrawny Gourmet for the Catskill Chronicle. You might recall my admission that I …

Muscling in on mussels

I was disappointed, even frustrated, when my sister, Janet, discovered an allergy to shrimp. At a Japanese hibachi meal in upstate New York, we had a delicious lunch, then headed for the parking lot, …