Mamaw’s Lasagna

In April of 2024, my Mamaw passed away. It was a rough time, but something I keep going back to for comfort is her food. To this day, I think she made the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten. Here’s my story about why.

Food Memories

I didn’t know what my Mamaw’s recipes were going to mean to me until she was gone. Until I couldn’t ask her anymore what the secret was or if she could make it for me.

Analysis: Layers of Authenticity

I feel like there is a joke here about how an analysis is like a lasagna because of the layers, but I’ll move on.I chose this story because it meant a lot to me from a family level. It made me think a lot about authenticity and the way homecooked meals will always be different from a restaurant. It made me think about how authenticity can come down to something so personal even though it starts so broad. I probably won’t be able to happily eat lasagna cooked by another person, because unless my Mamaw is making it, its not authentic. I think it really boils down to what level of authenticity we are looking for. If we are looking for something made a specific way by a specific person, then the authenticity is impossible to recreate. But if we just go off authentic ingredients, we get things like microwave lasagna. Its close, but at the same time not where near it.

As a fun fact for this, my grandma is Canadian. I learned recently that lasagna is a comfort food in Canada and the fact the she puts cottage cheese in it is because of that too. I haven’t seen a single “American” recipe that calls for cottage cheese in lasagna, but that is part of what makes it so good. Its interesting to see her heritage come through in ways like that. She passed in April of ’24, six months after my sister had passed. It was a rough time for us as a family, and we ended up having four deaths that year. One of the things that I turned to for comfort was her food. I have an entire recipe book filled with ones she had either collected or written down. When I want to feel close to her, I cook.

I know the day I make her lasagna I’ll cry. It’s a reminder of how food connects us in ways we would never imagine. That is why I included a short bit about how to make it. My grandma loved everyone and could make friends with a rock on the side of the road. If I told her I shared her recipe she’d say, “Oh you little turd.” But there would be no bite behind it. Because secretly she would love to know people are still eating it. I chose this story because food isn’t just about eating. Its about connecting with people who you never would have talked to before. Its about conveying emotions like grief in a way that is meant to comfort. “Authentic” foods that brings up memories of a time that was a little easier on the mind.

In the end, I hope that food continues to bring people together. From every corner of the globe and every culture, because I think that is what it was meant to do.