Savoring Summer Memories

The foods that transport us

Painting by Jacques Ducas (Jane Weissman’s uncle) Courtesy of Jane Weissman..

When my children were still in high school, we started a lunch tradition during summer vacations on Martha’s Vineyard: We always bought baguettes at the old A&P, and made sandwiches of tomato, mozzarella cheese, and pesto. If that sounds too healthy, we also always made one or more stops in the evening at Back Door Donuts for the apple fritters.

Those foods, and others, became entwined with our summer memories in the most delicious way—and Jane Weissman explores just this kind of “summer” food nostalgia in her latest book: Hungry for the Outer Cape: The Food that Stirs Memories.

Courtesy of Jane Weissman

The book is notable not just for its evocative prose and fascinating history of certain beloved foods, but for its truly amazing photography—you may start yearning for foods you have no nostalgia for. Like brown bread–something I never wanted to try until this book. (But Portuguese fish stew and dayboat scallops come first.) Whatever weight I gained last week on the Vineyard, I blame squarely on Jane’s photo of a root beer float.

Photo by Jane Weissman

Despite that, or maybe because of it, I couldn’t wait to talk to Jane about putting together a mouth-watering book, so I caught up with her in Provincetown, where she now summers.

Question: How did you select the foods you wrote about?

Jane: At first, I didn’t have any planned selection method, just went with the food I love and associate with the Cape and Vineyard. But I did want to be inclusive of the food brought to us by the fishermen and some of the early Portuguese Provincetown residents. I found the vintage Portuguese cookbooks to be fascinating histories with stories to remember.

Question: Which are your personal favorites? What foods must you have every summer?

Jane: I couldn’t possibly pick out a favorite. If I picked one, the others would be terribly insulted. So, my favorites change day-by-day, and are weather-driven, mood-driven, and by the degree of hungriness. But if forced to pick one, it’s not about the taste or deliciousness but about the memory it brings. That would be the Root Beer Float at the A&W stand in Vineyard Haven next to the old A&P. It brings back my dear cousin Erica, who died much too young. More of a sister than a cousin. We shared the freedom of summer days running slightly wild around Menemsha, getting into harmless trouble

Photo by M.L. Bell .

.Question: The food research that went into this book was fascinating. How did you find these research details?

Jane: I love the discovery of new facts and histories. Digging for information leads to new threads uncovering behind-the-scenes stories. And of course, going down a rabbit hole or two is an entertaining way of spending an afternoon.

The internet is the biggest library of primary and secondary sources, but my rule of thumb is to verify facts two or three times since history, whether food or events, can be uneven.

Question: What was more of a challenge, the writing or the amazing photography?

Jane: The biggest challenge was plating and styling the food. Some plates were easy, but others took two or three takes. The first round of grilled cheese looked too flat and boring. The same held true with s’mores, so in that instance, I photographed their deconstructed ingredients rather than an unexciting mess. Some food photographers will use mashed potatoes or plain yogurt as a substitute for ice cream so there’s no melting during the photo shoot. I don’t use any fake ingredients. I would just eat the melted ice cream and start over with a new scoop or two out of the freezer. When I get that one photograph that captures the look and feel (and smell) of the dish, it’s a win.