All Hail Gravy
I feel like one day we all woke up and decided to stop eating gravy (I also feel this way about casseroles). Maybe it's generational, but lately I only see people making sheet pan meals, pastas, or stir-fry. If they're feeling adventurous, maybe I'll see a big pot of soup or crockpots full of chicken or chili. I think the most old-school meal I've seen was a woman making pot roast. Pot roast? It doesn't get more "grandma" than that.
I don't know, but I feel like social media has turned us all into foodies. No one on TikTok is going to pull out a can of Cream of Mushroom or something. They're usually busy doing the most, adding "aromatics" and unnecessary steps.
But the other day I stumbled across a recipe that I could actually do. It was literally just a girl making chicken, rice, and gravy. She baked the chicken, poured the chicken grease into a pot with butter and flour, whisked it all together, and bam. Gravy.
The entire time I was making it, I was like, "It can't be that good." But when I tasted it, it was shockingly, effortlessly good. Why did we stop making gravy? It tasted so hearty, so Southern. It reminded me of food I used to eat as a kid. Why did we stop?
I mean, I admit, it's not exactly healthy. Butter? Chicken grease? But like most things in life, I'm sure it's fine in moderation. I made it a second time, this time for my husband, but he refused to eat it. He said he wasn't a "gravy person" since he didn't grow up eating it. Maybe it is one of those foods you have to have a nostalgic memory for.
That weekend, I went out to brunch and ordered biscuits and gravy (cause once again, I was on a gravy kick), but it tasted like glue. I know brunch is usually just an excuse to get hammered, but I was genuinely disappointed. Does no one know how to make gravy anymore? Unfortunately, this gravy thing might be a short-term affair.