By By Leada DeVaney, Editor
My boyfriend Greg told me a story recently about a girl he knew down in Auburn.
He was a freshman fraternity pledge. She was an older woman, probably all of 21, who was the fraternity's little sister.
For some reason, she took pity on him one evening and decided to cook him a real, homestyle dinner.
"She was studying to be an architect and you could tell she was used to the finer things in life," he said.
"But she cooked me some fresh green beans, the kind with bacon drippings in them. If I closed my eyes, I would have sworn I was eating grandmama's green beans."
"What's happened with Southern girls nowadays?" he continued. " You just can't find anyone who can cook with bacon drippings anymore."
He's right.
I can honestly say I've never cooked with bacon drippings in my life. I use the no-fat, low-cholesterol, not-a-product-found-in-nature type butter substitute.
You can't get grandmama's home-cooked taste with no-fat, low-cholesterol, not-a-product-found-in-nature type butter substitute.
I remember my Grandmother DeVaney cooking with bacon drippings, or at least I think that's what it was. She kept a aluminum can, the kind soup comes in, on the back of the stove.
She would strain the grease off whenever she was cooking bacon, pouring it into this little can.
Then, whenever she was cooking something and needed some oil, she would use this bacon grease.
I can feel my arteries hardening just thinking about it.
I remember picking it up and peering into it a few times, unsure of what it was and what in the world it could be used for. I thought it was something someone spit snuff into. Who knows? Maybe it was.
Whatever it was, I don't think anyone really uses bacon grease anymore. People today are too afraid of the fat, cholesterol and who knows what else that was inside that little aluminum can.
Maybe that's what Greg was missing.
He was missing that sweet Southern girl who took the time to make him green beans with bacon drippings.
She wasn't worried about cholesterol or fat or politically correct cooking.
"I would have married her on the spot if she would have said yes," he said.
Obviously, this girl has figured out something I have yet to learn. I've long heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I just didn't know it would be easier with a dollop of bacon grease on top.