Cornbread 'N Beans

Growin' up on the Hoosier farm, Mom fixed very simple chuck. (We'd never heard of pate de fois gras or crispy Peking duck!) But never mind such sophisticated and fanciful cuisines. I'd much prefer a steamin' bowl of Mom's cornbread 'n beans! Ah! The aroma waftin' thro' the house, beans boilin' in the pot! After a weary day of shuckin' corn, they'd surely hit the spot! Now along with that, of course, you'd need some turnip greens, And slabs of homemade butter to flavor the cornbread 'n beans! Bubbly champagne or splendid wines never graced our board. (Mom thought such things wicked, an abomination unto the Lord!) She brewed iced tea, tho', to fill our mason jar canteens, To wash down that delectable meal of cornbread 'n beans! Now after such a splendid repast you must have dessert. Cherry pie and homemade ice cream certainly wouldn't hurt! I've enjoyed fancy fare at the Ritz and other elegant scenes, But nothin' will ever compare to dinin' on cornbread 'n beans! I've sampled fancy eats in London, Casablanca and Rome, But I really prefer the simple fare that my Mom fixed at home! I don't mean to disparage a great chef's cuisine by any means, But my simple tastes are sated with savory cornbread 'n beans! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired (© All Rights Reserved Honorable Mention in Food For Soul Contest May 2010