After a while, he became puzzled, as she began to slice off about a half an inch of meat from either end of the Christmas ham!
“Honey, why have you cut off the ends off the ham?” he asked while she rinsed her hands under the tap. She laughed.
“That’s just the way you do it,” she said in a sing-song voice, “That’s the way my Mum taught me, anyway.”
He thought no more of it.
Then a few days later, her Mother came to stay for the holiday season. The conversation came up again around the dinner table.
“Mum,” she said, “Why do you cut the ends off the ham before roasting it?”
“That’s simply the way it’s done,” said Mum, “At least, that’s how my mother taught me anyway.”
Christmas came and went, and as tradition dictated for New Year’s Day, the young couple drove out to the old folks’ home where Grandad lived. They couldn’t resist asking him.
“Grandad, why did Grandma used to cut the ends off the ham before roasting it?”
The old man leaned back in his chair with a twinkling eye and a knowing smile.
“Well,” he said, “It’s because it was the only way to make it fit in our tiny oven.”
I heard this story a long time ago, and I think about it sometimes - especially when I make assumptions about a thing, or when a process doesn’t make sense. It reminds me that processes have to change to respond to seasons, and that it’s okay - it really is okay - to ask questions about why things are the way they are.
Change happens. Sometimes not all of us are up-to-speed with the details and it’s only good, brave communication that will help us. I’m rather tired of having to assume a thing because nobody’s actually told me.
Anyway that’s the story of Grandma’s Ham. Of course at this time of year, my own Grandma used to make cinnamon rock cakes. I actually wish I’d asked her to show me how. I feel like I’d give a thousand worlds for one of those.
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