Wednesday, 6 February 2019

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good


Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good
 by Kathleen Flinn


I don’t usually read a lot of non-fiction, especially memoirs and biographies, but this one was recommended to me so I thought I would give it a try. Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good is the story of the author’s childhood, family and the food they shared, the two often inextricably linked.  The book’s title is itself a memory of Flinn’s grandmother, who raised her own young family during the Depression.  Food wastage was not an option then so you had to eat that burnt toast which fortunately, according to Mom, made you sing good!

Kathleen Flinn grew up in the Midwestern US, and uses family members’ stories and her own memories to recount the life of the Flinns. From the pizza parlor her parents owned and operated, Grandpa Charles’ army recipe chili and Grandma Inez’s fluffy pancakes she ties family anecdotes to family history. 

Food was central to the household as new challenges and cross country adventures took place. Each stage of their lives was represented by the food in the fridge and the pantry. During the busy pizza parlor days, the restaurant menu which included large pizza pies made on metal garbage can lids fed everyone. Later on, life on the farm consisted of whatever they grew, hunted and canned. Finding 100’s of canning jars in the cellar, they set to work filling them with the farm’s bounty. In the later years, Flinn’s parents moved the family to the suburbs and a life of relative luxury away from the hard work of the farm. Being more financially secure, her parents began living a different life than that the kids had been used to, they threw parties, they went out, they stocked the shelves with store bought food! This in itself was an adjustment, having longed for these treats while on the farm, the kids now found themselves wishing for mom’s homemade fried chicken.

Throughout each move, the kids never once doubted that they were loved. Not always the best communicators, the family spoke through food. In the words of Grandma Inez “I don’t have to tell you I love you. I fed you pancakes.” 

Flinn’s tasty memories will pique your interest, and you can make most of them yourself from the recipes included amongst the chapters.

31 comments:

  1. This sounds like such a heartwarming and delicious read! I love how food is woven into the narrative as a way to share family history and express love. It’s amazing how meals can trigger so many memories and tell stories of their own, connecting people across generations. The idea of the burnt toast making you sing good is such a charming and nostalgic detail, especially as a reflection of the resourcefulness and resilience families needed back then basketball stars. I'll definitely have to check this book out—and I love that there are recipes included too! It's like you can experience the story through taste.

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  3. I like your sharing, the stories are very interesting Geoguessr and from here I learn a lot of things

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  4. Some also say that smelling burnt toast could be a sign of negative energy at your house.

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  5. Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good by Kathleen Flinn is a delightful memoir blending humor, heartfelt family stories, and evocative recipes. Flinn’s rich storytelling captures the essence of family bonds and resilience through food. A charming read that connects nostalgia and the joy of cooking with a vivid, personal touch.I love how food is woven into the narrative as a way to share family history and express love.
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  7. The way Kathleen Flinn intertwines family history with the meals they shared is a powerful testament to how food can serve as both geometry dash odyssey sustenance and emotional connection.

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  8. Everybody has a story to share; yours is quite interesting, though!
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  15. Kathleen Flinn grew up in the Midwestern US, and uses family members’ stories and her own memories to recount the life of the Nutanix NCS-Core Exam Questions. From the pizza parlor her parents owned and operated, Grandpa Charles’ army recipe chili and Grandma Inez’s fluffy pancakes she ties family anecdotes to family history.

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  16. This sounds like a heartwarming and delicious memoir! The connection between family, food, and memories is beautifully described. I love the idea of the recipes being included – I'll definitely check out story for kids to see if I can get a copy. Thanks for sharing this lovely review!

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  18. The way you described the connection between food and family memories really resonated with me. It's like every recipe tells a story, a piece of life carefully preserved. It reminds me a bit of playing doodle baseball, actually. You keep swinging, sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss completely. But each swing, each try at that perfect timing, teaches you something new. Just like those family recipes passed down, each attempt is a lesson, a memory in the making, and eventually, you’ll hit one out of the park! Thanks for sharing this!

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  19. Sounds like a really heartwarming read! The idea of food connecting generations is so beautiful. I'm definitely gonna check out "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good". Hope it has lots of yummy recipes! Do you want to play a lot of fun games on one website? Then come and click me at Playpharos

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  20. Sounds like such a sweet and heartwarming book! I love how food brings back all those good family memories. Gonna have to add this one to my reading list for sure! Hope the recipes are easy to follow, lol. Classify AI text from major AI models, from ChatGPT to Gemini, Llama, Claude and more.at GPTDetect.ai

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  21. "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good" sounds absolutely lovely! I'm a sucker for heartwarming stories about family and food. Plus, recipes? Count me in! Definitely adding this to my TBR pile. It can help you use the image-to-image function, the text-to-image function, or remove the background of your image.at Picool.ai

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  22. "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good" sounds like such a lovely read! Food, family, and good memories - what's not to love? Definitely adding this to my list. Hope those recipes are easy peasy! Generate a random email address for you on the web page, fast and convenient at Tempmailpro

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  23. "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good" sounds so heartwarming! I love the idea of family stories and recipes all in one place. Definitely adding it to my reading list! Hope the recipes are easy to follow! Do you want to use AI to write poems, do you want to write a poem for your loved ones, lovers and friends, then come quicklyAI Poem Generator

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  25. "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good" sounds like such a cozy and heartwarming read! I'm totally adding it to my TBR list. Hopefully, the recipes are easy to follow! Can't wait to dive into this yummy memoir. If you want to relax, we recommend it Wackyflip

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