Coblolly

A few days ago, I told y’all about our visit to Shakespeare in the Park, and asked you what you’d take on a picnic. Marcia and Frigga both commented to say that they loved to take simple foods that you could eat with your hands. I agree that a simple picnic can be a lot of fun.

But, Robin at Around the Island (meaning the island in her kitchen), listed some gourmet food that sounded wonderful! I asked her for the recipes, and she posted some of them here. The Sesame Noodles recipe, in particular, has me inspired. You see, I love fancy picnics. I enjoy drama, and I love to play “the hostess.”

Years ago, my family liked to picnic at the now defunct Shakespeare in the Park which was held in Trinity Park in Fort Worth, TX. Sitting in the open air with good food and good friends and then enjoying a production of Shakespeare was a treat. But, in those days, the real show happened before the play began. There was a competition, of sorts, on who had brought the finest picnic. Everyone eyed the picnics other people brought and we “oohed” and “aahed” over what came out of the picnic baskets.

Many people were creative in their picnic foods. But, the hands down winner was one large group of people who spread a fancy linen tablecloth on their tapestry rug (no quilt or picnic blanket for them). Their “table” was set with real china and silver. Wine was not served in paper cups, but crystal glasses. The fare was not ordinary picnic food, but began with shrimp cocktail and ended with cheesecake topped with strawberries. I no longer remember the marvel of what came between, but it wasn’t fried chicken.

The pièce de résistance was that all of this was served by a butler! Yes, indeed, in the middle of summer in the Texas heat, the butler was wearing a formal white shirt, tie, cummerbund, and black coat with long tails. All of that was worn over jean shorts and flip flops. That was one of my favorites to watch. In fact, I don’t even remember the play we saw, because the pre-play show was so spectacular!

A picnic doesn’t have to be that elaborate to be memorable. After all, a picnic is about having a good time with food and friends. In my family there are stories about some pretty marvelous picnics in East Texas that were put on by my Great-Grand-Daddy, John Armour. He was a master of the picnic. My Mamaw (his daughter) told me that Daddy John would stand up after church and announce in his big booming voice, “I call a Coblolly!” And, everyone got excited.

“A Coblolly” was a special kind of picnic. Everyone gathered at the creek bank to fish, pitch horseshoes, and play dominoes. They had good times with their friends and neighbors. Each family brought a dish of food to share. But, my Daddy John always put a huge iron pot over an open fire. He boiled up some chickens with various herbs and spices for a stew, which was the actual “coblolly,” and everyone(young and old alike) brought something to put in the pot. Since this was a farm community, you can imagine the amounts of fresh vegetables that simmered in that pot: onions, corn, beans, okra, tomatoes, squash, cabbage. But, sometimes folks brought a little bit of squirrel meat, venison, fish, or beef to add to the pot, too.

People added their contribution and stirred the pot, so everyone had a hand in the cooking. This was a case where “too many cooks” did not spoil the broth. My Mamaw told me that every coblolly was different, and that each one was delicious. She had delightful memories of those times.

I wish I had gotten to go to a coblolly. I wish I had known my Daddy John better, but he died when I was young. Somehow, I think he was a very wise man. He knew a secret that I want to share with you:

Y’all, I’ve “called a Coblolly” of my own. I’m asking folks to join the Share A Square project to make afghans for children with cancer. I’m getting some wonderful feedback, and I’m watching my mail for squares that several folks have sent me. I’d love it if you would bring something to the pot. If you can’t crochet, you can help spread the word. I’ve got a blogroll started of folks who are helping. If you have posted about the project, please let me know so I can link you there. Together we can make something wonderful happen.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Share A Square project has ended, and the afghans were delivered on July 7th, 2008. Although we will not continue that project, an exciting NEW endeavor, called the Good Medicine Project is in progress for summer camp 2009. We hope you will join us.]

Related posts:

1. Crochet Squares—It’s “Darned” If You Do, And “Darned” If You Don’t
   (So To Speak)
2. I Donate Cans For Comments
3. An Evening With The Bored, er I mean Bard
4. Time
5. Share A Square Is Starting To Take Off

Tagged as: Memories, picnic, Shakespeare in the Park, Share A Square