Do It Right

 Dad taught himself to cook.

For a while, dad had to stay at home and mom ended up going to work. At one point, dad was getting around and doing what he could to help out at home. He took care of us kids and we helped around the house as well. We were not old enough to help with cooking, so dad taught himself how to cook really, REALLY well.

Dad could always cook. He was self-sufficient, but he decided that he wanted to build his skillset. Most of his recipes were home-cooking style, just standard home fare, but he stepped up his game. He learned new techniques and used different ingredients. I loved everything he cooked. He would cook for family and friends. If he was a part of a gathering where food was being offered, he probably cooked it.There were also a lot of dishes he created.

He got good enough that at one time he was encouraged and considered opening his own restaurant. It was a pretty serious consideration and he had supporters and backers. He had scouted locations and did quite a lot of research on foods and the business. At one point, he had thought about it enough and decided that he was not going to pursue that adventure. His reasoning was that he did not want something that he loved to do to turn into work. He did not want to risk losing the joy of something he loved to do.

Dad was thorough with everything he took on. He was not likely to rush into a project, and had to consider his physical limitations with anything he took on. He was always looking for ways to improve things. If something broke and he fixed it, he would find a way to not only make the repair, but to make the repair stronger and make it last longer.

Quietly, and mostly by example, I learned this from him. Probably not to the high level he mastered, but I think it was a learned behavior for me.

One of the recipes that dad came up with was really a pretty simple one: Dutch-oven potatoes. It is a very basic recipe, one that I am sure had been thought of by others, but dad’s version always tasted better than others, even mine. Especially mine. Very simple, with very few ingredients. Potatoes, bacon, onion, beer, and salt and pepper. It was probably the most requested dish for him.

He and some friends were getting together one night, and dad had asked me to help peel the onions and potatoes while he prepped something else. I was a young teenager and not always prone to going the extra mile to get things done, including peeling all those potatoes. Truth be told, I was probably a little resentful that I was not going to get to go with them. While I did peel the potatoes, I was slightly lazy about getting all of the peel off them. Not whole strips or anything like that. Just spots of peel.

Vern, one of dad’s friends, had stopped by to help get things ready and was helping me peel the potatoes and asked if dad left some of the peel like I was doing. I made some smart-mouthed comment about it and kept going. Vern quietly picked up potatoes and began cleaning up after me. I noticed immediately, and also immediately started cleaning up what I had missed, then completed the task without missing any peel on the rest of the potatoes.

Vern, as well as most of dad’s other friends, were all very similar in values and standards. Vern reminded me by his example that since I was representing my dad in what I was doing, I should also meet dad’s standards. While I have not always managed to apply myself 100%, the lesson I learned that day has stuck with me all these decades since. 

Broken down and simply put, if you are going to do something, do it right.

I have always tried to follow that reasoning. I wish I had followed it more strictly when I was younger. Things in my life might have been very different. It seems as though every day I have to remind myself that if I am going to do something, do it right. 

I am afraid that I fail more often than I succeed. 

Hold doors for others. Pick up trash and put it in the garbage. Put the cart back in the corral. If you are clearing your dishes from a table, take other plates with yours as well. Be courteous, polite, and kind. Listen to hear what the other person is saying, not just to wait until they are done speaking so you can talk next. Be a better person. Make the world a better place. Offer a hand to help others. Make someone else’s load a little lighter. Care for others. Truly care, not just care for what you might get out of it. 

As I said previously, I am afraid that I fail more often than I succeed.