A few months after our dad died, we went through his apartment. In his bedroom were several international cookbooks and how to learn languages books.
Growing up our dad was always making some dish such as Hungarian goulash, cannoli’s, tacos, and chili.
He loved to learn different languages such as Dutch, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic and more. He would pace up and down the hall reciting the words by tape recorder.
Dad was also very fond of guitars and was a huge fan of Andrés Segovia, a Spanish guitarist. At one point dad made a few beautiful guitars from scratch.
On his walls were index cards with his thoughts written out. Many were advice on learning languages and cooking which were his passions.
Dad didn’t have a ton of items to preserve or for any of his nine children to keep. He wasn’t very sentimental and often discarded items after quickly after he bought them.
In tribute, here are some of Barry Zolo’s thoughts on life, cooking and languages.
“It’s a jungle out there.”
“The only way to quit is to not buy them.”
“So you’re a veteran- that don’t mean shit.”
“You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
“As long as she’s not married to you, she can’t steal from you again.”
“Mary is not a cook. She’s a bus driver. That’s what she has always been. She has never been a cook.”
“The clock shouldn’t intrude into the bedroom or the phone either.”
“It’s nice to dream, but reality intrudes.”
“When you were drinking you lost your balance and fell to the floor. Don’t drink on an empty stomach.”
“You better stay out of the cold!”
“Don’t make a recipe that you can’t afford.”
“Clocks are useful for cooking purposes.”
“Buy only canned corn beef.”
“Thaw one thigh at a time-When ready to fry it. Use thick sliced potatoes.”
“Don’t build up leftovers in the fridge. Throw them out.”
“Always incorporate an egg or two into your soup to enrich your soup.”
“Fried chicken is only good if it’s fresh.”
“Only use chili powder and buy in sealed bottles.”
“Crispy coating- 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup milk.”
“The Dutch oven is better than the 10-inch skillet.”
“A good recipe should be simple enough to be practical to use in the home kitchen. Accurate enough so that the dish can be reproduced.”
“You buy your potato salad at Walmart.”
“You don’t make pizza you buy it. You don’t attempt to alter it after that. If you do, it’s not Italian anymore. Too much is worse than too little.”
“Coffee is good anytime.”
“When you clean the fryer, strain the oil.”
“Most recipes assume you know a thing or two about cooking so not every detail is explained in the recipe.”
“Pressure cookers and slow cookers are a bad idea and should not be used. The old fashion Dutch oven should be used instead.”
“Real Chinese food has to be prepared by an expert.”
“Don’t buy such a large package of chicken. Buy a small package of chicken thighs (4 thighs).”
“Don’t try to keep food hot too long, it breaks down.”
“Once a dish is completed don’t monkey with it.”
“Hot if juice squirts out when you poke a brat on the grill, it’s done. They are all done.”
“Pick out a recipe you are going to use and follow it to the letter.”
“The appearance of food is a clue to its quality.”
“Don’t throw away any cooking items because you would only have to buy them back in the future again.”
“The tendency with slow cookers is to overcook the food. And food that is overcooked does not look good.”
“Cooking- You can’t get more out of something than you put into it.”
“A measure of trial and error will be needed to optimize the results in cooking. Use just what is needed.”
“A little food goes a long way.”
“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine-French proverb.”
“Give some thought as to how it’s going to look when you make it.”
“Learn it but never say Italian. You either can speak it or can’t. I like to eat but I don’t like to cook.”
“Anyone can learn a foreign language if they are willing to work at it. Time spaced once every 3 days.”
“Living language is a good place to start. You have to start somewhere. Write them out.”
“You only need to know Italian if you will be going to Italy. It’s like Spanish.”
“Learning a second language can take years. There is no fast way.”
Karen Pilarski 