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Sam said, “The beer saved my life. I’ll have another.”

Mother said, “Why don’t you make us a few dry martinis? We’ll eat soon.” I asked, “You cooked tripe that fast?”

“I used my pressure cooker, but it doesn’t take as long as it used to now that they process tripe. They clean it and then precook it.”

We sat at the table suffused in delicious aroma. Suddenly Sam’s sleeve was caught on the martini glass and it tipped into his plate of tripe; then his plate slipped over onto my mother’s lap. We all jumped. Sam apologized. Mother went to the sink.

I said, “Let’s go to your bathroom and get some water on it immediately.” We rushed to her room. When she had immersed her slacks and shirt in the basin she chose another white set and we walked back into the kitchen.

Sam Floyd had cleaned the table and put on a fresh tablecloth. We all had new plates.

Sam said, “I’m rarely clumsy enough to ruin someone else’s clothes. And on only one other occasion have I spilled tomato sauce on my own self.”

We sat down and enjoyed the food. Mother said, “This is good hangover food. Never fails.”

Just as we finished eating, Sam tipped his plate. Red sauce spilled onto his summer white outfit.

My mother said, “You clever thing, you did that on purpose.”

Sam swore he didn’t plan to pour tripe on his clothes and maybe he didn’t, but I know with that accident he made my mother his friend for life.

Trípe à la Mode

de Caen

SERVES 4 TO 6

2 pounds fresh tripe

Bouquet Garni (p. 8)

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 Spanish onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

¼-pound diced salt pork, cut into large pieces

4 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

1 pig’s foot

1 soup bone, pork, cracked

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

2 cups dry white wine

2 jiggers gin

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Wash tripe, and cut into bite-size cubes. Put all dry ingredients into large earthenware pot. Pour in water, wine, and gin. Cover tightly and bake for 5 hours. Remove from oven, and discard pig’s foot, soup bone, and Bouquet Garni. Serve with crusty French bread.

Red Tripe with

White Rice

SERVES 4 TO 6

2 pounds fresh tripe

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, sliced

Two 28-ounce cans tomatoes

One 6-ounce can tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

4 to 6 cups hot cooked white rice

Wash tripe and cut into 1-inch pieces. Put in pot with water to cover, and simmer for 1½ hours. Drain, and pat dry.

In large skillet, sautê oil, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic. Add tripe. Simmer 1 hour, or until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve with rice.

Menudos

(tripe stew)

SERVES 8

5 pounds tripe

1 large beef soup bone

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 teaspoons salt

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons chili powder (or more, to taste) or one 4-ounce can chopped green chilies

1½ quarts water

One 29-ounce can whole hominy

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Wash tripe, and cut into Y2-inch-wide strips.

Place tripe, soup bone, garlic, salt, onions, coriander, chili powder, and water in a large pot. Simmer for 6 hours, or until tripe is tender, adding more water if necessary. Add hominy, lemon juice, and cilantro, and cook over medium to high heat for 30 minutes. Remove soup bone, and serve immediately.

THE HANDSOME DOCTOR CARED inordinately for tamales, and my friend-sister, the beautiful Mary Jane, called M.J., cared for the doctor. He had been the senior surgeon when Mary Jane was taken into a hospital with a life-threatening emergency. In hours, following the diligent application of his medical know-how, her life was saved and her principal savior was a handsome, young, dashing, unmarried doctor.

She returned home and used gargantuan control to keep herself from calling the doctor. Much to her delight, after a week he telephoned her and telephoned her and telephoned