Kings, crowns, and horses

 

Coronation supper
Like much of my cooking,
it tasted better than it looked.

What a day! The first British coronation in seventy years and the Kentucky Derby! I come by my fascination with the coronation naturally. My father was born in Canada, served in the Canadian army with British troops during WWI (honest! That long ago!) and was a dedicated Anglophile all his life. When I was growing up, we ate a lot of lamb and potatoes, sang “Annie Laurie” around the piano on Sunday nights, and traced our Scottish heritage back to Gilles McBain, the hero of the battle (slaughter?) at Culloden.

I remember being wakened at three or so in the morning to listen to Elizabeth’s coronation on a scratchy radio. At thirteen or fourteen, the significance escaped me, but I sensed from Dad that it was a momentous occasion. This time I confess I didn’t get up—live coverage was just ending when I turned on the TV this morning, but I will watch for re-runs tonight. (A note later: there was no special coverage later in the day--what a disappointment.)

This time, there was a noisy anti-monarchy faction among the throngs cheering the king. They wore yellow outfits and shouted, “Not my king!” I dismissed them as low-lifes with no class. I know the arguments—the monarchy is outdated, the royals live in luxury while Brits pay high taxes to support their lifestyle. What critics fail to recognize is that being a part of “the company” is hard work, with countless charitable appearances required—and donations made. They do many good things not just in England but throughout the world. Beyond that, I like the symbolism of the monarchy: it stands for unity, something that holds a country together (most of the country anyway). In America, where we are so divided, we need something like that that reminds us we are one country, loyal to each other and to our country. Besides, and maybe this is my heritage, I love the ceremony and pageantry.

Having those two events on the same day presented the kind of cooking dilemma I cherish. Should I cook coronation chicken salad or Kentucky Hot Browns? I chose the chicken salad, although the British royals eschewed it today in favor of a quiche—how pedestrian! The chicken salad is in my fridge as I write. It is made with lots of the flavors of India, reminiscent of the days when the British Empire stretched from one horizon to the next—curry, chutney, raisins, and toasted almonds (yes, I had to toast two batches because I burned the first).

My fridge also holds pea salad, one of those things that I usually make from scratch without a recipe. But when I came across a recipe, I decided to follow it—after all, I had never put vinegar and Worcestershire in pea salad. The recipe began with instructions to cook bacon. I did but with some reluctance. I’m not all that sure about bacon in pea salad. When I got to the end, you combine everything but the bacon, chill for hours, and add the bacon just before serving. So why cook it hours ahead? I had a bacon sandwich for lunch and decided against adding it tonight!

Kentucky Hot Browns are a draw though, and I may have to do them soon. Open-faced sandwiches with turkey and tomato, slathered with Mornay sauce, and topped with bacon—there It is again, but this time more appropriate to the dish. Of course, if you eat a Hot Brown, you should drink a Mint Julep. Not being a racing fan (all those dead horses!), I usually watch the high-tension two minutes at home and don’t go to parties. But I did one year, drank not one but two (they taste so good), and was home in bed by six o’clock. Lethal!

Later in the evening

My coronation chicken salad was delicious—flavors I never would think of, but they worked well together. I loved it. And the pea salad, with no bacon, was good. Jean announced pea salad was one of the few things she doesn’t like but she would eat mine, so I have her a small helping. Quite quickly she asked if it was all right if she helped herself to more. Win!

Renee came by with her daughter-in-law, Courtney, who is in town from Austin to babysit the dogs of our friends Teddy and Sue. Lovely visit. Courtney is a delight and a true dog person, and we had lots of talk about.

But one clap of thunder, and they were all out of here almost instantly. I was left wondering what happened to my nice party. We’ve had lots of thunder since—and one really huge loud clap that sounded directly overhead. But, no rain. Sophie, however, is keeping close to me.

How sad to have a day of pageantry, on both sides of the pond, end with yet another mass shooting in Texas. Nine dead, seven injured in a shooting at a mall in Allen, north of the Metroplex. Yes, it was an AR-15. Gov. Abbott was quick to offer all support the state could give, but that's after the fact. He has not done one thing to prevent these tragedies. Indeed, he has loosened laws so that now anyone can get a weapon, without a license, without training. There were children among the victims tonight. Gov. Abbott, blood is on your hands. Texans, we must do something to curtail this senseless killing.

Seems almost inane now to say that tomorrow will be a lazy day, with leftovers for lunch, and I think Christian is cooking supper. I have a writing project but I’m not ready to talk about it. And tomorrow night, well after supper, Jordan will come home. We will all be so glad to have her home again, but I’m sure she’s a bit nostalgic about ending her adventure. How lucky we are to have this normal life with its moments of joy--for nine people, that will never happen again. I am heartbroken.