When Your Dad Makes Pate #100DaysofSummer

By notoriouslysinglegirl, August 25, 2024

The food you serve always tastes better than the food you eat alone.

-Jacques Pepin

I was chatting with a guy who owned a wine shop about a local wine bar that served $60 charcuterie.

“It’s really that good” he said.

I really can’t bring myself to pay 60 bucks for some cheese.

Not when you grew up in an Italian household where charcuterie is literally a staple with every meal.

And definitely not when you find your 90 year old father making pate.

I will admit, I was really hesitant to try my dads chicken liver pate. After all, he’s been known to make weird culinary concoctions where he just throws stuff together. However, pate is my favorite.

“Where did you learn to make pate” I asked my dad.

“From Jacques Pepin.” he answered as if this guy was his best friend or something.

I just started laughing, and I know that my dad has been obsessively watching Jacques Pepin on PBS since he retired 25 years ago. They literally are old friends even though Jacques may not even be aware of this psychic friendship.

My dad sort of adopted Jacques as a mentor when he retired. He would watch Jacques daily on PBS and try and recreate his recipes. Although, not everything he made was perfect because he never wrote the recipes down, he would just download the recipes to his memory.

From my experience in healthcare I see a ton of old doctors still working. Through research I’ve come to find out many of them won’t retire because their egos won’t let them. Because who would they be if they were no longer working as a doctor practicing medicine. This fact is both sad and dangerous. It’s true your ego could kill you.

When my dad retired 25 years ago, I remember him going through an identity crisis. He remodeled my townhome. He picked up leisure activities like playing bocce ball, but cooking gave him a new identity. He could use his creativity and learn from great mentors like Jacques Pepin to make eclectic and delicious delicacies like pate.

The chicken liver pate my dad made of course was delicious and I couldn’t stop eating it. It was better than any pate I’ve ever tasted.