"you're NOT from here"

Yesterday, Rebekah and I went back to Florence Crittenton. Round 2: Cooking Demonstration. The assignment was to cook something simple and inexpensive while utilizing ingredients grown in the on-sight garden or available from food banks and local donors. Man, am I naive. I went in armed with my tomato corn salad tossed in basil vinegrette, sincerely believing the girls would be thrilled. Wrong. Turns out they "hate tomatoes," "can't cook," and "will NOT try that." In retrospect it's comical, but at the time Rebekah and I were at a loss for words. I wish I could have seen the akward glances we shared during our desperate attempts to relate to these girls.

Funny, though. The more Rebekah and I floundered, the more we piqued their interest. By the end of our short demonstration, the girls were fighting over who would cut the scallions they had for the first time been introduced to just that morning. In the end, they were like proud parents showing off their culinary creation. They could not wait to distribute it around the house to their teachers and case workers. When asked to sample their final product themselves, one girl asked, "Are you from here?" When Rebekah sweetly answered that she was from Missouri, the girl snorted and replied, "Right. That's why you eat like this! I'm not trying that!" We just laughed and considered the girls' pride in their cooking victory enough.

"Not so Charleston" Tomato Corn Sald:

2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1/4 C sliced green onion tops

2 T thinly sliced fresh basil

1 T balsalmic vinegar

1 t Olive Oil

1/4 t salt

1/8 t black pepper

1 (7 oz) can whole-kernel corn, drained

Toss all ingredients, and serve.