Made in the USA

     Recently I've been extolling the virtues of several international cuisines like Italian, French and German.  Any large metropolitan area will have any number of regional restaurants offering up the local fare for their culture.  But today I want to speak about food that is prepared right here in the good old US of A.  You know, the kind of meals that our great nation is known for.  To find that kind of cooking requires not an excursion to a fine dining establishment but a short trip to a local church supper or a firehouse dinner.  And that's where I was last night.  I had the honor of attending the annual awards ceremony for the 5th Fire District of Montgomery County.  It was hosted by the North Penn Volunteer Fire Company in my hometown, North Wales.

     It was a meal of amazing proportion prepared by a dedicated group of ladies who offer their skill and labor for free to raise funds that support the fire company.  Some of them were at work in the kitchen for most of the afternoon after shopping for all the ingredients that same morning.  The buffet line was filled with genuine home cooked favorites like succotash, green peas, mashed potatoes and roast beef and gravy.  Meals like that are a rare find and a delight to the palate.  Here are some pictures of the workers serving up an honest to goodness All American meal: