I was looking at my Snoopy calendar today and it had an interesting message. Snoopy is outside looking at this dog food dish. It has a dry bone in it. Snoopy kicks his dish and the bone goes flying. In the next frame Snoopy has caught the dry bone in his mouth with the big letters “CLOMP” overhead.

In the last fame, Snoopy has a smile on his face, the bone in his mouth, and he thinks to himself: “Eating out can be fun!”

Yes, eating out can be fun. But the Founding Fathers didn’t have much in the way of popular restaurants. No Red Robin, Applebees, or Pizza Hut! Can you imagine life without restaurants all around?

They mostly had to prepare their meals at home. We were at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, his retirement home. We got a guided tour. Next to the home itself was a separate building, which turned out to be the kitchen. You see, in those days, fire from a kitchen was a real possibility. So the kitchens were separate from the living quarters. Thomas Jefferson’s kitchen at Monticello, for example, was under a walkway separate from his house.

My wife and I were invited, as a VIP, an author, with a book about Patrick Henry and his friends, to join with the workers at the Red Hill home for their lunch. We sat on some tables under the trees. The cooks let us choose which recipes we would indulge in. The bread, baked over a fire, was soft and delicious. The turkey was moist and very tasty. The green beans were appealing. And the dessert, a cake like substance was very delightful.

We visited with the staff and I told my own stories about Patrick Henry. We all had a wonderful time. Cooks in those days had a very different life and occupation. And those who joined in the meals had to appreciate what was there. I’m certainly glad I have more choices today!