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Not so haute cuisine
Passing it On
Maintaining a family legacy by eating potentially hazardous foodstuffs
Most people tend to have a positive association with the word “inheritance.” Not because a loved one has passed away mind you but because the deceased thought enough of you to leave something for you when they were gone. These bequests usually have a financial or emotional value like a piece of land or an old baseball glove but, occasionally they’re a bit more confounding. A few years ago after my father’s passing I received an old Army-issued gas mask from his tour in Vietnam. I’m still trying to wrap my head around exactly why I received a sixty-year-old gas mask but that’s beside the point. Whenever I think of it I remember my father fondly and his hope that I’d be prepared on the off chance my house is gassed by the Viet Cong.
Lately, however, I’ve come to understand that not all bequests can be looked upon or sold or even held by hand. Some aren’t even all that desirable. The idea may not be all novel or profound but it was a thought I’d been able to devote a fair amount of attention having been laid up with an acute round of food poisoning caused by — clearly something I’d eaten. I wish I could be more specific, but I can’t. The spoiled foodstuff in question may have been an old piece of salmon or an even older…
