As many of you know, I spent the formative years living in El Dorado, AR. El Dorado is a small town very dear to my heart. My Great-Grandfather, Andrew Matthews was awesome. I wonder what people today would have thought of his diet. He raised chickens and pigs/hogs and he even had a small garden. Neighbors would bring food and trade for, you know how small southern communities do.
Wow, the things he ate…
He’d eat almost every part of the chicken. The pigs were crazier. He’d cut and cook ham, bacon, and everything you can imagine. He ate what’s called Hog Head Cheese, Pigs Feet, etc. I’d be like, “DAMN!” he ate pork everyday of his life. “EVERYDAY!!” I know his diet was or today would be considered so unhealthy. His doctor told him once, he would need to stop eating pork and start a healthier diet. His doctor was very health conscious and was even known around the community to run and workout daily. A few years later, his doctor died. Then the doctor’s son, who was a doctor died soon after.
My Great-Grandfather did, eventually, pass away…when he was 96-years old.
I say this to say, I know I need to reassess my diet and do something’s healthier, but being healthy isn’t all in the latest diet or fitness craze. It’s part of your culture and a way of life. How do you tell a 96-year old that his diet isn’t adequate? Haha, you can’t. He isn’t the only one. Many of the elders in and around El Dorado live to those upper years. I laugh because the contradiction of “living healthier” apparently doesn’t always mean living longer. Daniela (my wife) always cooked and ate healthier. She wasn’t a health nut or fanatic, but she was into natural and fresh (what she called…) clean eating. That’s what I’m trying to get back to. A family friend is going to teach N’kya how to cook a few things and get that “Cocina Espanola” popping off in our kitchen.
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