Hand-me-down Knowledge

  You know, this quarantine stuff really got me to thinking today.  I was in the midst of a bake-fest, when it occurred to me that not everyone has the knowledge of how to even bake a loaf of bread if needed.  Although it is not a hard thing at all, it does require a wee bit of good old-fashioned "know how".   That "know how" is merely the hints and tips that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Most of these tips are not written but were taught by hands on experience.  Most baked goods follow a general recipe and have "add ins" for flavor.  Because of this, die-hard bakers can whip up a loaf of bread without ever cracking a cookbook or, nowadays, looking for a recipe on the Internet.  It just comes natural.  

  Thinking back on it, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and neighbors all had a hand in making sure I had a good solid background when it came to survival.  One of the utmost lessons was to be able to grow, cook and preserve food.  It seemed to be the thing to do.  Teach kids to have a smattering of knowledge about everything.  Fix a broken pipe?  Got it!  Tune a carburetor? No problem!  Bake a loaf of bread?  Sure thing!  Fillet a fish?  Hand me the knife!  Mend a shirt? I can do this!  The list goes on and on. We were a generation of kids that COULD!  What happened along the way?    I am sure glad my three adult kids have that "smattering" and are not afraid to try anything!  They know how to survive when the going gets tough.