People do not like to admit they cannot see; they would rather be deaf than blind. Although, from experience, believe it or not, I would rather be blind than deaf. There is no comparison in my view. A world without sound is one without colour. But the matriarch has different views on this matter.
The matriarch was putting salt on her dinner; I made her an Irish dinner called "Champ" which is basically boiled and mashed potato and cabbage with raw onion grated through it. I boiled bacon in the dinner and removed it before I served it but, otherwise, I thought it was a nice dinner. Until, of course, the matriarch began to put salt on it. She shook the shaker around the plate; I had piled the dinner in the centre of the plate and she missed it completely. After a few bites of the mashed potato, she realized she needed more salt...and missed again.
A third try led to utter failure as well. So, I offered to put salt on her dinner.
Why?
What do you say? The matriarch just thought she wasn't tasting the salt not that she was missing her meal when putting the salt on her food. So, put the salt on before giving her the meal, a reader suggests. But it is a habit for my mother-in-law to put salt and pepper on her dinner; she doesn't taste the food, she just puts the salt on it. It has become a habit she does not even think about... Empty the shaker, another person recommends. This is the most obvious solution. But, the most worrisome because, somehow, the matriarch knows when the shaker is empty; I have even put rice in for weight to distract her and failed completely. I have obviously put salt on her dinner when trying such things and she still must use her shaker. And, it must have running salt within its body. Go figure.
Yet, again, she goes round with the shaker.
And, my husband shakes his head because there is now a pile of salt on the rim of her plate and on the table beside it. Give up, he mouths to me. Next time, I think I will spread her dinner out more--although, then she will wonder why it is so flat and if she is having a potato pancake. She loves potato pancakes and would eat them everyday until, of course, she didn't want them anymore and would spit them out. I would love to do a blog on the varieties of the spitting habits but I just cannot stomach it yet. Anyhow, the matriarch ate half her dinner and told me I didn't cook with enough salt. What do you say? I mean, really, what do you say?
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If the Matriarch is blind, salt her dinner before you serve it to her; put her dinner on a dark yellow plate, smaller than a dinner plate; give her a large salt shaker with lots of salt -and rice. As one ages, the taste buds do not have the same sensors as when one is young or middle-aged, like the other cells, those on the tongue die too, thus the reason why the Matriarch must put lots of sugar on her desserts and now lots of salt on her dinner. Old people enjoy soft boiled eggs mashed up in a cup, served with small slices of soft bread and butter on the side, so too very soft French fries, served with lots of ketchup and or with fried tomatoes; or soft mashed potatoes that are mixed with lots of butter, salt chives and green onions. The thing about aging, one is still hungry.
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