Day 3,220 - What is in the Gumbo?

This article explores the tradition of making gumbo on Halloween and reflects on the deeper meaning of food preparation as a way to preserve family history, teach valuable lessons, and strengthen relationships. It encourages readers to maintain their own food traditions, emphasizing that the experience of making food together is as important as the recipe itself.

Show Notes

We have a new tradition brewing in our family kitchen. Every Halloween, we make a giant pot of gumbo. It sits there simmering away while the house fills with the excitement of the evening, costumes are being prepared, candy is being distributed, and the sounds of Halloween begin to fill the neighborhood. Somewhere in the middle of all this activity, there is that wonderful smell coming from the kitchen.

Now, what exactly goes into a good gumbo? Is it seafood, chicken, sausage, or some combination of all three? Certainly, we need the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, onions, celery, and bell peppers. Then there is the mysterious art of making the roux. How dark should it be? How long do you stir? How close can you get to burning the whole thing before you have achieved perfection?

I am beginning to suspect that the most important ingredients are not actually on the recipe card.

Every culture, every society, and practically every family has traditions that center around the preparation of food. Think about that for a moment. Throughout human history, people have gathered around fires, ovens, stoves, and kitchen tables to prepare meals together. Recipes were passed from one generation to the next, often without ever being written down. Children learned by watching, helping, tasting, and occasionally getting scolded for doing something wrong.

These were not just cooking lessons. They were lessons about family, patience, responsibility, and belonging. Stories were told while dough was kneaded. Family history was shared while vegetables were chopped. Arguments were settled, laughter was exchanged, and relationships were strengthened while everyone waited for something wonderful to finish cooking.

I worry that we are losing some of this.

We live in a world that places tremendous value on convenience. We want everything faster, easier, and more efficient. I certainly appreciate those things, but perhaps preparing food is one of those activities where efficiency should not always be the objective. There is something valuable about spending an afternoon making something that could probably be purchased in a fraction of the time.

Perhaps the effort is part of what makes it meaningful.

My plea is that we do not allow these traditions to disappear. Whatever your family prepares, whatever your cultural heritage has handed down, find a way to preserve it. Teach someone how to make that special dish. Ask an older relative why they do something a particular way. Write down the recipe, but more importantly, spend time together making it. The recipe may tell you what ingredients to use, but the experience teaches you why it matters.

I wonder if someday, many years from now, someone in our family will be standing over a large pot of gumbo on Halloween. Perhaps they will argue about whether shrimp belongs in it, whether the roux is dark enough, or whether someone has committed the unforgivable sin of adding the wrong ingredient.

I hope so.

Because I suspect that somewhere in that pot, mixed in with the chicken, sausage, vegetables, and spices, there is a little bit of our own souls. Perhaps even a little of the souls of those who came before us, who understood that preparing food was about much more than feeding hungry people.

We are creating a tradition, one Halloween at a time. I hope it lasts for generations.

So, I have a question for you.

What is in your pot of gumbo?

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This is day 3220.
What is in the gumbo?
Well, we just finished Halloween and I'm exhausted it poured rain on us.
And I just barely got all the makeup off my face.
But the what I'm writing about today is that we have a new tradition brewing in our family kitchen.
Every Halloween we make a giant pot of gumbo.
It sits that are simmering away while the house fills with the excitement of the evening costs are being prepared. The Halloween decorations outside candy is being distributed and the sounds of Halloween begin to fill the neighborhood.
Somewhere in the middle of all this activity there. Is that wonderful smell that comes from the kitchen.
Now what exactly goes into a good gumbo?
Is it the seafood the chicken sausage or some combination of all the three of those?
Certainly, we need the Holy Trinity of Cajun cooking onion celery and bell peppers. Then there's the mysterious art of making the roux. How dark should it be? How long do you let it? How long do you stir it? How close can you get to burning the whole thing before you have achieved that perfect that perfect stir I'm beginning to suspect that the most important ingredients are not actually on the recipe.
Every culture every society and practically every family has Traditions at center around the preparation of food.
Think about that for a moment.
Throughout human history people have gathered around fires oven stoves and kitchen tables to prepare meals together.
My wife's family being Creole definitely has this tradition in their family.
Recipes were passed from one generation to the next often without ever being written down such as the recipe for gumbo.
Children learn by watching helping tasting and casually an occasionally of course getting scolded for doing something wrong.
These were not just cooking lessons. They were lessons about family patients responsibility belonging.
Stories were told while the dough was needed.
And food was prepared family history was shared while vegetables were chopped arguments were settled and laughed from his exchanged and relationships are strengthened. Well everyone waited for something wonderful to finish cooking.
I worry that we're losing some of this.
We live in a world that places tremendous value on convenience. We want everything faster and easier and more efficient. I certainly appreciate those things myself props preparing food is one of those activities where efficiency should not always be the objective.
There is something valuable about spending an afternoon making something that could probably be purchased in a fraction of the time.
Perhaps the effort is part of what makes it so meaningful.
My plea is that we as a family do not allow these Traditions to disappear.
Whatever your family prepares whatever your cultural heritage is handed down find a way to preserve it teach someone how to make that special dish that you remember as a child ask an older relative why they do something in a particular way right down that recipe but more importantly spend time together making it.
The recipe may tell you what ingredients to use but the experience teaches you why it matters.
I wonder if someday many years from now someone in our family will be standing over large pot of Gumbo on Halloween.
Perhaps they will argue about whether the shrimp belongs in it or not or whether the rule is actually dark enough or whether someone is committed the unforgivable sin of adding the wrong ingredient.
I really hope so.
Because I suspect that somewhere in that pot mixed in with the chicken and the sausage and the vegetables and the spices. There's a little bit of our own souls in there, too. Perhaps even a little of the souls of those who came before us.
Who understood that prepared food was about much more than feeding hungry people.
We are creating a tradition when Halloween at a time and I hope it lasts for Generations. So I have a question for you. What is in your pot of gumbo?