Tag: 2023-05 Heirlooms

It follows that you are what you eat, and there is a lot of diversity in today’s menu, not just in foods, but also from where they come. The composition of our bodies is less tied to soil and water from where we live, than it was in my grandparent’s day. Within us today is a larger…

Among the collection of things are several place settings and various specialized utensils: some butter knives, gravy spoons, fish knives, etc. They are of different sets and styles. Most are silver, some have bone handles, some have wood. The dominance of silver suggests an elevation in class. The families of both my father’s parents were…

This bread is not an heirloom in the sense that it was passed to me by my parents or grandparents. Although it might be consider such given the long history of this recipe, dating back to the Etruscans. With the time available, and the need for distraction, during the pandemic my wife began baking. Among…

Another article from my father’s parents, said by my father to be a bread knife. Though worn and difficult to make out in full, the markings on the blade provide some clue as to its origins. It looks like the knife was manufactured in Solingen Germany[1]. Decoding the remaining inscriptions and hallmark will be for…

This plate is from my father’s parents. I can only speculate on its origins. It could be contemporary with my grandparent’s time, the early 1900s, or it could date back further[1]. Prior to the emergence of the toy industry in their home town, Sonneberg, in the 1880s, the area had a thriving woodcraft industry, so…