Beans.

An elderly friend was recently released from the hospital following surgery. One of his daughters drove him home and offered to cook dinner for him and for her mother. His choice? Beans and cornbread. That made me smile as my request would have been the same! I love beans!

Years ago I heard someone interview Louis Armstrong. Asked to name his favorite meal. In his husky, gravely voice, Armstrong replied, "Red beans and rice".

Rice was not all that common where I grew up in Missouri, beans certainly were. Plentiful, cheap and delicious. And dry beans are so easy to store and transport.

A friend once told me a story from the depression era. When he and his wife were married, they found a job on a large farm. The job was for the entire year and part of the job was a small cabin in which to live while employed. The cabin had rudimentary furnishings, a wood-burning kitchen stove, a few pots or kettles and some dishes. Someone gave the newlyweds a big sack of beans, and my friend had a dime. 10 cents! He walked several miles into the nearest town and bought 10¢ worth of salt pork. The couple lived on beans, flavored with the salt pork, until their first payday when they could buy some additional groceries.

As a kid in a country school, I and other farm kids, often brought cold bean sandwiches for lunch. A big pot of beans, kept overnight in the icebox would become stiff enough to spread on a thick slab of homemade bread to make a sandwich.

When I started my first business, a businessman mentor advised me not to worry if success was not immediate. "You grew up on beans", he said, "you can always go back to beans if things get slow." They did get slow at times, and I did go back to beans. But, I still love a big pot of beans, even when things are going well!

Today my preference is for pinto beans, soaked overnight in cold water, then cooked all day in a Crock Pot with some ham hocks. Serve them with lots of fresh, chopped onions and a couple of spoons of hot salsa! Cornbread tops off the meal. Wow! I truly feel sorry for people who never learned how much simple pleasure is found in a big bowl of beans!