"There were many kitchens, but the kitchen I spent the most time [in] was in Elizabeth, New Jersey," legendary children's author Judy Blume tells host Michele Norris for her weekly podcast, Your Mama's Kitchen. On the show, the NPR journalist prompts her guests to recount their earliest culinary experiences. Blume spent most of her childhood in that home. "Stove, sink with sides where you could work. And there was a canary cage; we always had a canary," she says.
Author Judy Blume makes an appearance at the 2012 Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books. Photo credit: Shutterstock
Blume recalls how, during her World War II childhood, her mother made her feel guilty for not cleaning her plate. Dinner was served early when her father would arrive home from his dental practice. She also remembers eating and watching Howdy Doody. "My mother fed me the same thing every night, which was lamb chop and a baked potato," says Blume. "And when I had a child, I fed her a lamb chop every day at noon because I guess I thought that's what you had to do."
Blume recalls the dark green and flamingo pink kitchen that her parents renovated, inspired by their time in Miami Beach. She describes her mother as a nervous cook, something she inherited, especially her mom's anxiety about using a pressure cooker. Before hosting dinner parties, she often had anxiety dreams about dropping the platter with the main course on the floor.
In the podcast "Your Mama's Kitchen," journalist Michele Norris sits down with guests to recount their earliest culinary experiences. Photo courtesy of Higher Ground Productions.