Thursday, July 13, 2017

Cheesy Friday

On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it.
~E.B. White



Welcome! Diane realized that July 14th is National Macaroni and Cheese Day and saw potential for a good poetry theme. Why not? I'm plenty cheesy.


photo by Joshua Bousel

I thought there was a chance that more than one person would share this poem, what with there being a run on macaroni and cheese poems today. Did anybody?

Macaroni & Cheese
by Laura Kasischke

One day you may be asked, “How
was it that God brought forth
being

out of nothing?” Then, “Is
there no difference between them—
nothing, and being?” Outside

a strange slow snow, and a big
black bird hunched
over something in the road. The sky

read the rest here

**********

When I thought about coming up with my own poem, I considered writing about the time when I wouldn't eat my grandparents' baked macaroni and cheese because only Kraft would do (too embarrassing?). In the end, a particular batch of the dish came to mind:

There once was a mac and cheese
that tasted a bit like a sneeze
with gluten-free pasta,
a total disasta,
still worse was the dairy-free "chreez."

(No offense intended to good gluten-free, dairy-free macaroni and cheese...)

**********

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28 comments:

Robyn Hood Black said...

Wow - I was as intrigued by the Laura Kasischke poem as I was amused by yours! Thanks for hosting this rich, cheesy gathering, Tabatha. (We have finally found some decent vegan "cheese" options for my hubby this year! Some in the past have been truly awful. We've been vegetarians for almost 30 years, but several years ago, he went vegan. I, um, still like real cheese. And ice cream.)

michelle kogan said...

A contrast indeed between Laura Kasischke's poem and yours Tabatha, I like the shift your've offered. As I've been off of dairy for years I went straight to a limerick as you have. I love the "total disasta," in your poem! Thanks for hosting this special cheesy Poetry Friday!

Matt Forrest Esenwine said...

I had not come across Laura's poem before, so thanks for sharing - and for hosting! I'm feeling especially cheesy today, so I hope you enjoy my offering. And with all this cheese and pasta, don't try to ingest it all at once - PACE YOURSELF!

Linda Mitchell said...

lol.....a sneeze?! Too funny. I think total disasta is the best line though. Oh goodness. I have so much fun when I visit with you. Thanks so much for hosting this week. I love the mac & cheese fun.....but oi! It's so hot for making this dish. Kraft will have to do.
I got stuck on the word macaroni....which led to Yankee Doodle....which led to word history....you know how it goes. Fun.
Have a fun time with Poetry Friday.

Buffy Silverman said...

Ha--your limerick made me laugh. No gluten-free pasta or vegan cheese in my house! Thanks for hosting, and for sharing Laura Kasischke's poem (which is a bit more serious than most of the other cheesy poems that I'm guessing will be shared for Poetry Friday.)

Whispers from the Ridge said...

Hooray for mac-n-cheese! My boys could live off that stuff I think. "a total disasta" I love that line! Thanks for hosting, Tabatha!

Rebecca Herzog said...

Thanks for hosting! Fake dairy anything would be "a total disasta" in my book. So of course we discovered tonight that my 8mo may potentially be allergic to dairy! Maybe we'll learn to love it? I really enjoyed Laura Kasischke's poem as well. Thank you!

Diane Mayr said...

I'm loving this mac & cheese thing you've got going here, Tabatha! Thanks for being such a good sport!

Carol Varsalona said...

Tabatha, you cooked up a delicious cheesy Friday for us poetry lovers with not one but two poems. Of course, the latter one holds the humor with the words sneeze and disasta. I found a delightful Kenn Nesbitt poem and a scrumptious mac and cheese recipe that is on the healthy side. Thanks for hosting a fun National Mac and Cheese Day.

Donna Smith said...

Yeah, gluten free pasta can certainly be a disasta! Love it! I'm going to try to find some that isn't, though! Thanks for the reminder for this special day!

jone said...

Thank you for a great topic this week. I have had terrible gluten free pasta so I agree on that matter. Since growing up Mac n'Cheese was part of our Christmas Eve dinner, I thought Laura Kasischke's poem with the Santa and Reindeer was hysterical.

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

I think that bird scares me, with the bloody work of scavengers. I prefer your limerick. :-)

Anonymous said...

Yeepers-jeepers. And there was I working away on a lovely sentimental poetry post for this Friday (having missed a couple on account of rural internet...) and just as I put the finishing touches on, my tweet stream had a run of Mac&Cheese tweets. Oh noes!!! I'd completely forgotten that!!! So - on my blog you will find the quickest ever poem about CheesyMac. I love that out of nothing, you can almost always find... something! (Phew!) Looking forward to tasting all your morsels on the rounds... but Tabatha, I think I'll have to pass on yours. ;) (Though it was very cleverly writ!)

Catherine said...

Your limerick made me laugh out loud! As someone who is gluten-free, I have had plenty of pasta "disastas"! In the past few years, though, GF pastas have gotten much better. I stirred up my mac and cheese poem out of many childhood memories. Thank you for hosting today, Tabatha!

jan godown annino said...

Tabitha, You are a food forcasta, with your blasta about curds getting in the way of a cheesy day.
O.K. enough sticky words. FUN & fascinating post. I was oblivious to the importance of July 14, so
this is all a delightful new thing.
I will link my book giveaway for Lisa Desimini's new THE FLEATASTICS with all the others.
The url is

https://bookseedstudio.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/artist-author-lisa-desimini-the-fleatastics-book-for-you/

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Hi, Tabatha! Link widget is not working for me, so here I am with --yes--a macaroni & cheese poem with my mother and brother. Thanks for hosting!

http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2017/07/macaroni-cheese-with-my-mother.html

Back later with reading comments!

Keri said...

Fun times! I made a gourmet version soon after marrying Mark & his kids disdained it. It made a 9X13 pan!! So it was Kraft from then on! Thanks for hosting, dearie!

Mary Lee said...

Thanks for hosting! Even before I start the rounds, I can tell this will be a fun week!

I like that you also paired a serious and a funny take on mac-n-cheese!

Karen Edmisten said...

Hi, Tabatha! Wow, the Kasischke is intriguing. I've not seen it before. And I love your limerick. As someone who has been experimenting with veganism, I believe there's no true substitute for cheese, oh, sublime cheese. :)

Thanks for hosting!

Kay said...

Oh my, such a contrast between the two poems! My first thought when I saw the mac and cheese was remembering the one and only time I made homemade mac and cheese for my daughter. She turned up her nose and refused to eat it because the stuff from the box was better! You are not alone.

Ruth said...

I really love the Kasischke poem.

"Love. Hunger. Other alchemies."

Thanks for hosting!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

A wonderful contrast--Kasischke gets that surreal moment when inside and outside are not in sync, creating big questions and vague answers. A new role for mac & cheese.

The thing about yours is that when you describe it as tasting like a sneeze, we ALL know what you mean! : )

Little Willow said...

Thanks for hosting!

Have you read Laura Kasischke's novels? So cool.

author amok said...

The Laura Kasischke poem is kind of haunting. Comfort and fear in one breath?

I love your limerick, Tabatha, and remember well when my brothers and I preferred boxed mac and cheese to homemade.

I've got a poetic treat from NerdCamp on my blog today. Last minute bonus: a mac and cheese kinetic poem from a 3rd grader.

Tara said...

I'm in complete agreement with your version, Tabatha! Thanks for hosting today.

Jeanne said...

I read the Laura kasischke poem while a good friend and my daughter made my favorite comfort food dish while I'm recovering from a knee replacement, and so I loved it especially.

Carol said...

Forget that fancy, gluten free, vegan mac and cheese, definitely a "disasta." Bring on the real deal!!!! Should I confess that I could eat a whole box of the Kraft kind, all by myself??? Don't tell my Weight Watcher leader! Thanks for hosting!

laurasalas said...

Thanks for hosting, Tabatha! Love yoyr limerick! Going to have to sit w the Laura K one a bit..