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PLACE-BASED FOODWAYS: POT ROAST I interviewed my Grandfather, John J. Hafner of Tontogany, Ohio as well as both of my parents to see what their thoughts on pot roast, a common meal in our homes, were including how it fits into our Midwestern location, as well as our lower to middle economic class. Focusing first on our location in rural Northwest Ohio, I asked grandpa where he used to shop for groceries, especially beef. “I would just go right up town here [Tontogany] and go to Smith’s grocery store”. He told me that a man used to come in from Toledo on the streetcar that ran back and forth, and he would take orders from each of the four grocery stores that were in town. He would ride back to Toledo and then a week later, he would bring the food and supplies to the stores via streetcar freight. The idea of beef and potatoes was said to come from contempt for pork that was more readily available. “When Godey’s Lady’s Cookbook and Magazine described the pros and cons of various meats in 1877, beef came off the best by far. Pork and ham, on the other hand, were called “difficult to digest, often unwholesome, and unhealthy…” (Levenstein 21). However, by the early 1900s, Americans had become more health conscious and aware of what kind of foods they were putting into their body. It became more about looks and health, than availability and the simple pleasures that come with eating a good hearty meal. It was once said that one could never be too rich or too thin. Grandpa has always been a traditionalist when it comes to hearty meat and potato meals at home, looks were never a concern when it came to a family meal. With the idea of living in the Midwest and living off of meat and potatoes comes the affiliation with ethnic (German and English; roast happens to be both) and family identity. Availability of local ingredients in Ohio range from staple items (potatoes) to the slightly exotic (pumpkins). For my parents, grandpa, and myself it is about making a meal with what you have, and we always have carrots, onions, and potatoes around the house. In Ohio potatoes, carrots, and onions are all staple foods not only found in most homes, but are accessible in virtually any grocery store in the state. As for the seasonings, garlic, salt, and pepper are also staple seasonings that can be found in most homes. All of our versions of pot roast never called for any “exotic” foods or ingredients. Pot roast is not used as a celebratory dish, or a holiday dish. It is simply a private, everyday, domestic dish. However, roast has not always been domestic. Around the early to mid 1980s, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board put together a campaign to sell beef as an American dinner dish. Remember those, “Beef, its what’s for dinner” commercials? At their website, beefitswhatsfordinner.com, you can find out “all about beef”, recipes, Ads, and even sign up for a newsletter. It is campaigned as a warm, hearty meal that can be inexpensive (depending on the recipe). They also took into consideration health factors and fear that people may have when it comes to beef. You can, “Get the Skinny on Lean Beef” and get a “Cook booklet Fast & Flavorful Beef: Heart-Healthy Recipes”. Concerning economic class, eating has always been important, but trying to find inexpensive ways to feed multiple people is always in the back of everyone’s mind. Starting with the seventeenth century, pot roast, or more commonly known as roast beef or just roast, had been a large common meal for lower and middle-class people in England. Pot roast is inexpensive and can feed multiple people. He had eight kids to feed, plus himself and grandma and one roast could do it for under $20, usually for two days. Grandpa explained to me that his goal, when he cooks for more than just himself, is to feed as many people as possible, for the smallest amount of money. Grandpa told me that nothing ever went to waste with a pot roast. The fatty pieces were excellent for making beef stew, or vegetable soup out of. Pieces of meat could be shredded and made into beef sandwiches the next day for lunch. This is an expression of the working-class identity that I associate with. Pot roast has been in my family for years. This meal comes down to cost, location, and how many people one has to feed on any given night. Pot roast is an all-American meat and potatoes meal that can be jazzed up or down depending on tastes, budgets, location, and guests, but deep down it still remains one of the classic Midwestern meals that everyone can enjoy any time of the year, year after year. Pot
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