Written 2014-05-27

Cook-outs at Grandpap Racz’ House

Seeing all of the Facebook posts reminded me of the cook-outs we had at Grandpap Racz, or as we called him, Nazupa, Hungarian for grandfather. It was a simple feast, kielbasa and hot dogs on the charcoal grill. The hot dogs were always burnt but that was the way we like them. This, plus homemade potato salad and orange pop (Pittsburghese for soda) made a scrumptious meal.

Dad would drive to Richeyville, along the Youghiogheny River, through the steel mill towns until we got to the country roads. There were always lots of cattle but it was a thrill if we got to see the beautiful white horse, in the field by himself. Dad told us that was Hopalong Cassidy’s horse Topper. Of course, we believed him. However, if we girls had thought to do the math, we would have realized that it couldn’t be Topper. William Boyd, who played Hopalong Cassidy, bought a silver white Tennessee Walker horse in 1937 and named him Topper. This horse starred in many movies and then television. He was buried in 1961 in the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park. Still the horse we saw was a magnificent creature and we loved seeing him.

In addition to barbeques at Grandpap Racz’s home, it also meant that delight of corn on the cob, fresh picked right from the field. We would get the butter and sugar corn (or at least, that is what we called it). Shuck it, boil it, roll it in a stick of butter and eat away. And I do mean eat. I swear each of us would finish off a half dozen ears easily. Just don’t slip any horse corn into the pot. That corn was so tough and tasteless; it was only fit for a horse to eat. (Grandma Racz, Grandpap Racz and Dad)

At times, the meal contained a bit more variety, other than the corn and burnt hot dogs on a bun. Then Mom would serve huge beefsteak tomatoes, grown in her backyard garden. This along with sliced cucumbers, peeled and scored with a little dried onion, which had been marinating in vinegar and water for a day, completed the feast. Dessert was slices of watermelon, the kind with the seeds. After dinner entertainment consisted of who could spit the seeds the furthest.