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House-Husband” James Baldwin Shares
Views On Food, Politics, Life
Pest Waff Writer* #$.
In tradtUonelawaehoMg, the nun
goes out to work, and If anybody
stays home/it’s the woman-and
even that’s not too common any
more. But then, no one haa ever
accused James Baldwin of being
traditional.
Baldwin attracted some attention
OPt long ago when he ran in the
Democratic mayoral primary-not
so much against Gantt, be says, but
for mayor.
Content in his role as “house
husband,” Baldwin does most of the
domestic chorea while his wife,
Anita, brings in the couple’s income
from her job at Southern Bell. As he
pints its, ”1 don’t let her work here
because she works all day. I’ve told
her if I ever let her do the house
work, she should put me out.”
The one exception is cooking.
Baldwin was the middle of five
children. While his parents were out
working, his two older brothers
bullied him into performing their
chores, he says, which included
doing the cooking when be was still
so little he had to climb up on a chair
to reach the stove. To this day, he ‘
resents that ; so Anita is the family’s
chief cook.
Nevertheless, Baldwin can cook,
as he demonstrated when he recent
ly prepared “Okra, Zucchini, and
Tomatoes AuGratin" for company.
He is especially food of cajun
cooking. “We eat Italian, Mexican 3
and a lot of Oriental, Just about
everything; but Iduisisna cajun is
my number ooe. And my favorite
dish Is backbones and turnips, an old
country-style dish.”
Baldwin enjoys simple foods. He
remembers most his mother’s pinto
beans and the “best having powder—
not baking soda-biscuits.” He also
recalls the time she brought home a
whole hog's head with the eyes and
bristles intact. ‘‘It scared me to
death!”
He doesn't care much for pork
anymore and rarely eats red meat.
"I’m a fish and poultry man these
days,” he reveals.
The recent political candidate
grew up in Charlotte and graduated
from West Charlotte High School in
1969. He says he had an offer to play
basketball at Fayetteville State but
decided to go into the Marines In
stead.
After his discharge, Baldwin at
tended CPCC and Johnson C. Smith
University, where he majored in
psychology. He didn’t stay to grad
uate, he says, because he felt a need
to get on witta his life.
He still enjoyed playing basketball
until a year and a half ago, when he
underwent back surgery. Now pas
times indude gardening (“I’ve
Indian Dish Is Fityed With Com
The Indians taught the early set
tlers of Jamestown and Plymouth
how to plant and cultivate corn. A
favorite way of using the corn was
.far fresh corn pudding. In the recipe
here the pudding is thickened with
corn starch, and has been tested
with fresh, frozen, and canned
corn. . •
—AMERICAN CORN PUDDING
4 to gears
fresh corn on cob, .
husked
2 Tbsp. Argo
corn starch
l Tbsp. sugar
l tsp. salt
y« tsp. pepper
3 c. milk
-l c. light cream
4egp
1 Tbsp. corn oil
margarine, melted
Grease llHx7y«z2-inch baking
dish. Using a sharp knife, cut
corn kernels from cobs. Measure
2Vt cops. In *-— bowl, stir
together corn sugar, salt,
ST Ԥaj!tlr In
until smooth.
Corn Pudding
Stir in corn and margarine until
well mixed. Pour into prepared
dish. Place In large shallow
roasting pan. Pour enough hot
water into pan to come up as high
as corn mixture. Bake in 350 P.
oven 50 to 60 minutes or unto
knife inserted in center comes out
clean. Makes 6 to 6 servings.
Note: tVt cups drained canned
whole kernel corn or thawed *
frozen corn kernels may be sub
* for fteah coTD.kernels. _
simple pear •ecorapauBkent
Pickle A Peck Of Pears
ii reter rtpmr, witu his taste for .
pungent foods, had picked a peck of
Western winter pears, he’d surety
have enjoyed this piquant side dish.
Pleasantly zesty, yet not Overly tart,
Peter Piper’s Pickled Pears do their
namesake proud.
The ingredients for this sirople
todo accompaniment go tosjMher
quickly. Juicy quarters of Western
winter pears are marinated in a
mixture of lime or lemon Juice, all,
green onion, parsley, oregano and
pepper, then refrigerated for se
veral hours to allow the flavors to
“marry.”
The cool, marinated pears, with
their delightfhl blend of flavors,
keep well and make a marvelous
and unusual complement to a wide
range of entrosa, from ham or pork
to sausages, cold cats, hamburg
ers, or chicken. Or, mrim on a bad of
crisp greens for a refreshing salad
* A V
always had a green thumb; any
thing I put in the ground will
grow,"), fixing up the house, watch
ing hi* pet praying mantis, and
keeping an eye on the political
scena^ 1
|?vea If he never run* for office
again, Baldwin intends to become "a
political watchdog.”
The 34-year-old Democrat has no
regrets about his run for the mayo
ral nomination. Friends and neigh
bors were encouraging, he says, and
told him, “I’m glad you did what you
did, even if you didn’t win, be
cause you gave us a choice.”
Baldwin garnered 1,733 votes
which is 1,733 votes more than he
would have gotten if he hadn’t run!
And, he states, he was prepared for
the negative reaction of many
toward his campaign.
Overall, he found it to be an
enjoyable experience. “If you don’t
take yourself too seriously,” he
notes, “you’ll come out ahead, win,
lose, or tie.”
among me issues Baldwin raised
were housing for the poor, greater
support for minority and women
businesses, greater development on
the west side of town, and seeking
alternatives to a payroll tax-all
issues which other politicians are
now addressing, he points out.
He also wants to see some kind of
trade-off of the water bond issues,
which will remedy problems in the
southeast, for solutions to problems
in the west, such as increased de
velopment and more jobs for people
on the west side.
Baldwin has an eight year old
daughter; Anita has a 13-year-old
son. The children spend summers in
the Baldwin home and visit some
weekends during the year.
The couple hopes to eventually sell
their home after they’ve finished
fixing it up and buy a house with
more room for a family, reports
James. Meanwhile, he’s happy with
things the way they are.
“There’s more between Anita and
me than materialism,” he says.
“She’s a very patient woman, and
she’s my best friend.
“I’m not ashamed of my emo
tions,” he adds. “If you’re not in
touch with your emotions, you can
drive somebody insane. People
sometimes try to play on my emo
tions, equating working with man
hood. Y ou can be a man without ever
having to fit into roles society
provides for you.”
While family members were not
understanding of the couple's untra
ditional roles at first, “they’ve come
around,” Baldwin says.
Here are a few of James
Baldwin’s favorite recipes.
” <7 . '
- • -- -
Baldwin digs into his "Okra, Zucchini, and Tomates Au
Gratin," filled with vegetable goodness and cheesy
protein. The dish is easy to make and pops in and out of
the oven in no time. (Photo by Audrey Lodato)
-niirifr^rnrrT
WITH RICE
(Serves 4)
3 lb. fryer
r4 c. flour
1 envelope garlic salad
dressing mix
2 Tbsp. chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
'4 c. oil
1 med. onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 c, canned tomatoes
1 c. raw rice
Boiling water
Cut the chicken into serving
pieces, put the flour, garlic mix,
chili powder, and salt and pepper
in a large bag. Drop in the
chicken, close the bag and shake
it vigorously to coat all the
chicken pieces evenly. Fry the
chicken in the hot oil, browning
on all sides. Add the onion,
pepper, and tomatoes and stir
briefly. Add the rice and just
enough boiling water to cook it
(l'£ to 2 c.). Stir, cover, and
simmer until the rice is done
(about 30 mins.) Add more boil
ing water while cooking if neces
sary to keep chicken and rice
from drying out,_
~ BACKBONES Sc TURNIPS —
Roux
1 c. bacon drippings
1 c. flour
Pour drippings in large pot. After
the oil is well heated over a slow
fire, add flour. Cook the flour
slowly, stirring constantly. The
flour must be a very dark brown,
but not burnt.
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. bell pepper, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
'2 c. parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. Worchestersire
sauce
2'v - 4 lb. (pork or beef)
back bones (browned)
6-8 c turnips, chopped
1 c. sauterne wine
3 tsp. salt
Enough water to cover
Hot pepper to taste
(Red cayenne)
Add to Roux onion, bell pepper,
celery, and parsley. Cook until
tender. Add back bones, and tur
nips; do not stir. Pour sauterne
over back bones. Pour enough
water over to cover turnips. Add
salt. Cook 4 hours over med
low heat. Serve over rice with
garlic bread.
■ -OKRA. ZUCCHINI & TOMATOES AI GRAT1.M —
■4 id. zuccmni
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
'2 c. cooked or canned
tomatoes
'4 tsp. salt
he, shredded Cheddar
cheese
1 can okra (or '<* lb. fresh)
Wash zucchini and cut into
'2-mch pieces. Cook onion in
butter in a saucepan until soft.
Add zucchini and cook slowly 5
mins Stir frequently. Mix in
tomatoes and okra, salt and a few
grains pepper , cover and cook
about 5 mins. Turn mixture into
greased baking dish and sprinkle
cheese over top. Heat in a 350 F.
oven until cheese is melted.
■
:
■1WM*
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