Onions in the Stew
Encyclopedia
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald was an American author who specialized in humorous autobiographical tales, and is best known for her book The Egg and I. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books...
about her life on Vashon Island
Vashon Island
Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...
with her second husband and daughters during the Second World War years. It was published in 1955 and a second edition in 1956.
Title
The title comes from a quotation by Charles DivineCharles Divine
Charles Harding Divine was an American poet and playwright. He was a soldier in the First World War, and his first book of poems in 1918 was praised by reviewers, one of whom said he was one of most important American poets of the day.-Life:Divine was born in Binghamton, New York and graduated...
(1889-1950) in his poem "At the Lavender Lantern":
"Some said it was Bohemia, this little haunt we knew
When hearts were high and fortunes low, and onions in the stew"
Synopsis
The book covers the period from 1942 to 1954. The book opens just after Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, divorced mother Betty was living with her two children, Anne (12) and Joan (11) in her mother's home, while working in the office of a building contractor. She met and married Donald MacDonald and they began searching for a home. Not being able to find a suitable house in Seattle or the mainland suburbs as a result of the wartime influx of population, they tried the local islands, finally finding a property on Vashon Island
Vashon Island
Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...
. The early part describes the problems of commuting from a home without a road. The children have the choice of the beach if the tide is low, or walk to a neighbours (who do have a road) to catch the school bus. The adults have to follow a muddy trail to catch a ferry, which is usually done at a rush. Their house was intended as a summer home, so as a result is cold in the winter, so priorities change. "Creosote
Creosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
logs" on the beach are highly prized. Stormy weather brings a "bark tide" of firewood which must be quickly gathered. Various neighbours provide help, hindrance or confusion. At the same time, there are quite poetic pieces on some of the joys of getting food from the sea and land, and domestic scenes of the girls going through adolescence.
Further Reading about this book
- Delmer Davis (1989 ) "From Eggs to Stew: The Importance of Food in the Popular Narratives of Betty MacDonald" pp 114-125 in Cooking by the book: food in literature and culture by Mary Anne Schofield (Popular Press) ISBN 0879724439