Submitted by D.B. Campbell
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park was the bygone setting for an out-of-the-ordinary family gathering Thanksgiving 1989: that had disaster written all over it.
The park is nestled in a little valley of the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. The park show-cases open meadows and large valley oaks that once provided the Native Americans with an ample supply of acorns. The park preserves some 1,185 mortar holes -- the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America.
The Oregon Campbells had driven down from Corvallis dragging the ancient 12 foot travel trailer we had bought from the in-laws behind Jenny Jeep. Since the time the kids were only months old in Korea we always traveled with our ‘dog tags.’ Being military I at least wanted the bodies to be identified if something happened.
And yes, this was still back in the time when the kids used to name the cars we owned; Jenny Jeep, Mikey Malibu, Minnie Metro.
My sister Allison had driven up and was staying in the back of her van. Sister Hillary drove up from Southern California in her “stud magnet” Dodge Daytona. My parents by this time were caravanning about North America in the 30 foot fifth-wheel trailer and with the only heater this RV was the base of operations for the meeting at the park.
At that time of year in California we had a 50/50 chance of good clear crisp weather. We lost! A cold, rainy, miserable, and mostly empty campground forced us inside the RV. It was crowded but fun which definitely made it a close “get together.” At one point the weather looked like snow and all of us having graduated when they used to actually teach history in high school started to joke about being snowed in and having to start eating each other.
In 1846 a wagon train led by George Donner became trapped in the Sierra Nevada during one of the worst winters on record. They endured months of unthinkable hardship and when starving, some survived on dead fellow travelers. We started calling this our Donner Party Family Reunion; the joke being how can you have a reunion if you all ate each other? Ok, if I have to explain the joke, forget it. But the name stuck for any ‘weather ruined’ family gathering to this day.
My Mom was determined to uphold family tradition and cook a turkey. The small oven of my parent’s RV was unique and temperamental. I had made my world famous taco dip as the appetizer. (Well, I made it in Korea once! That’s the other side of the world, right?) Having to stay inside with the wonderful smell of a very slowly cooking turkey was driving us nuts. We all partook of the taco dip to excess and when my Mom finally won the battle of the cooking turkey we were all full. She was NOT amused!
Sister Hillary remembers that was the trip when, “Allison, being a nurse, looked at Vanessa's dog tags and noticed the blood type listed couldn't possibly be right to be your child. You promptly answered ‘Allison, look at those eyes.’ We all laughed.” It was about then that I began to realize I had to specifically remember that Vanessa was adopted. She had simply been my daughter ever since the first time she was placed in my arms at three weeks-old; just as Allison was thinking. The whole family didn’t even notice her gene code or consider Vanessa as anything but our beautiful daughter.
Now, after the turn of the century to be politically correct I have to consider my daughter as an Asian-American ,as I have been reminded by a few small-minded people. Because of the shape of her eyes I am supposed to teach my daughter about a country she was never a part of? My daughter’s DNA has nothing to do with her culture. She’s just my daughter and an American. This harkens back to the Native Americans of North America. If you were adopted into a tribe that was it, you got all the rights and responsibilities, and you never existed anywhere else.
Why are we now going backwards? I believe to my core and have always declared, “If race isn’t supposed to matter, why are we being told to keep track?”
Bruce Campbell’s World Famous Taco Dip
Warning: Recipe may make too much dip.
Otherwise, count on a skillet full.
1 Pound Hamburger (little party) or 2 lb (big party)
1 or 2 Pkgs Taco mix (1 per pound of meat)
1 Cup onion (finely chopped)
1 Can tomato sauce (10 ounce)
½ Cup Minute rice
1 Jar Picante sauce (about 12 ounce)
2 Cups Sour cream
Finely chop anything else – carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc. that you might like. Just clean out the refrigerator.
1. In an electric skillet brown hamburger making sure meat is broken down finely.
2. Stir in chopped onion
3. Follow directions on taco packages, but use ½ the liquid called for.
4. Add tomato sauce*
5. Mix in rice (and any other ingredients). **
6. Simmer till almost dry using a lower than normal heat setting.
7. Leave in skillet to easily serve warm.
8. Just before serving:
a) Break up meat mixture if it has become compacted.
b) Put sour cream and picante sauce on top in a nice design.
9. Serve with nacho chips for digging.
*Using tomato sauce in place of some of the water helps the whole mess stay together better on the chips later.
** The rice adds bulk and soaks up water.
