My Evil Mother
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Is there anything more complex than the mother-daughter relationship? Set in the 50s, Atwood’s short story follows the course of a daughter’s life as she grows up in the shadow of her mother - a picture-perfect housewife who may or may not have turned her husband into a garden gnome. Our narrator can never quite decide if she believes her mother is telling the truth about her witchery, and that uncertainty transfers seamlessly to the reader. This uncertainty bubbles to the surface every time the narrator has to decide; do what mom is asking, or rebel? My favorite part by far was at the very end, when the narrator is suddenly trying to parent her own 15 year old. I don’t want to say much more because its a wonderful story and only about 30 pages, but definitely go track it down to read.
I paired it with one of my mom’s go-to soup recipes. This story was the perfect length to read while having a quiet meal at home, and what better to pair than a recipe I used to complain about my mom making but now can’t eat often enough. I can already hear any children I may have in the future complaining about my soup as I feed them the exact same recipes I grew up with.
Egyptian Red Lentil Soup:
Mom’s Changes:
Chicken broth instead of water
Sweet potato instead of potato
Half the garlic
My changes:
Chicken broth instead of water
Half sweet potato half potato
Extra garlic, gently heaping measurements for the spices
Soup is fabulous either way, surprisingly filling and you’ll feel healthier as you eat it.
