Thirty-Two
BY 3 P.M., I’M IN THE kitchen in Saint Clare’s basement, mixing up a large bowl of the Knights’ famous (at least in this part of Maryland) hush puppies. Now, the hush puppy is a staple of fish fries where I’m from, but I’ve not really encountered them up here. Fortunately, hush puppies are a staple of Saint Clare’s; Joan and I always enjoyed them when we attended, which wasn’t very often. But I still remember the delicious, slightly-sweet balls of deep-fried cornmeal batter that perfectly complemented the fish, cole slaw, and hand cut fries.
“How ya doing there, Father?” Bill says as he comes into the kitchen, wearing his traditional dark blue apron.
“Just fine,” I say. “I’ve made hush puppies before, but never for three hundred.”
“Just follow the recipe and you’ll be fine.”
