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A Fabulous Feast of Fs! Family, Friends, Fondue and Fire. · Family Tree Food Stories

• 0:00
  Nancy May: Hello and welcome to another episode of Family Tree Food and Stories.
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  I'm your co host, Nancy May.
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  And today, we're turning up the heat on February.
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  With a show that's all about the letter F.
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  Food, family, fondue, and yes, a few fiascos.
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  Why all the Fs, you ask?
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  Well, it's February.
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  And the second month of the year always seems to fly by faster than we'd like.
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  Oops!
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  Three more Fs!
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  Anyway, Sylvie and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the
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  final week of February, and yes, two more Fs, than with stories that bring
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  together food, family, and a few flops, with food that starts with the
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  letter F. this one is about fondue.
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  So, grab your fondue forks and get comfy as I dive into this rich and cheesy
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  story with a few traditions and yes, a mishap, off fixing up things for our March
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  episodes of Family Tree Food and Stories.
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  The First Fondue
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  Fondue has always been a family fixture in our house.
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  So much so that my parents were practically famous for it, but
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  let me tell you how it all began.
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  It was one frosty February evening in New York when my parents stumbled upon
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  their first fondue setd to their good friends Hank and Catchy Childs, who had
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  a flair for unforgettable introductions.
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  who had a flair for unforgetable introductions
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  In fact, they were the ones who introduced Mom and Dad.
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  That night, the Swiss Embassy was filled with a heavy aroma of melting cheese.
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  My parents, curious and adventurous as always, decided to give the fondue a try.
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  One bite, and they were hooked.
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  Or should I say, nabbed like a mouse in a trap.
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  But by the end of the evening, Dad had befriended the chef.
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  And mom was asking for the recipe.
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  before leaving the event, they found the perfect, and yes, original, Swiss
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  fondue set at the Embassy Gift Shop.
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  That set, with hand painted images of boys and girls on each plate, became the
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  centerpiece of many family gatherings, Christmas Eve dinners, And gatherings
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  with really close friends and family members often had them bringing out that
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  fondue set with a twinkle in their eye.
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  At every cheesy meal, I remembered how my sister and I would carefully
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  try to keep track of those forks, There was always a little colored
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  tip at the end, so you could tell.
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  Which fork belonged to who?
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  And as a piece of bread fell off someone's fork, into the pot, well,
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  the punishment was really a sweet one.
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  You had to kiss the person sitting next to you.
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  It was a perfect blend of family, food, fun, and friends.
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  Over the years, that original fondue set began to crack and eventually did break.
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  My mom was heartbroken each time a piece was broken because it kind of felt like
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  losing a little part of our special family moments together, and yes, our traditions.
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  But the memories that that set created, oh they still live with us today.
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  Fondue for us has never been just about food.
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  It's about the laughter, the stories, the connections that are made around
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  the table of bubbling hot cheese.
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  It was a tradition that my mom and dad created for our family.
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  One that brought us closer and always made us laugh.
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  One, lost piece of bread at the bottom of the fondue pot at a time.
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  And by the way, if you have never had fondue, the cherished Piece of
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  gold at the end of the pot is that gooey crust right at the bottom
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  when all that cheese is gone.
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  Before I continue, I'm going to take a little break to show you how you can find
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  ways to create your own family traditions.
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  Or remember the ones that you've got and make sure that they
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  continue through the generations.
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  Now let's get back to how Bob and I are carrying on that tradition.
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  When Bob and I got married, we knew we had to carry on that tradition of fondue.
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  We had many meals together with mom and dad over that cheesy gooey delight.
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  And it took a lot of hunting, but we eventually found our
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  fondue pot at a little specialty shop in Darien, Connecticut.
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  From then on, fondue became a signature winter dish for our New Year's Eve
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  and many other times spent around our dining table, with close friends.
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  Every time we brought that pot out, the stories flowed, as freely as the wine.
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  Conversations would bounce across the table alongside forks filled
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  with cheese, shrimp, and even dessert fruit dipped into chocolate.
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  Fondue isn't just a meal.
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  It really is an experience.
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  A way of bringing people together and creating memories that just
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  stick with you over the years.
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  Now, speaking of wine, let me tell you about one special memorable fondue night
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  with our dear friends Mary and Marc.
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  I call this one the Magic Reappearing or Disappearing Bottle of Wine.
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  One cold evening in February, we decided to To try a new fondue restaurant in town.
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  We had high hopes, not just for the food, but for the stories and
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  the laughter that always ensue after having fondue with friends.
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  Unfortunately, the fondue at this restaurant was quite the letdown.
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  The cheese was bland and watery, and I've never had such a bland taste of a pot of
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  anything before, in addition, the portions were small, and the wine we ordered
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  was, eh, rather mediocre and certainly overpriced for what we were getting.
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  still, we were determined to have a great evening with our dear friends.
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  After all.
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  It was fondue, and even a bad batch with good friends is enjoyable.
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  the four of us soon polished off that bottle of wine, and yes,
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  the pot of fondue, but we really didn't want to order anything more.
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  However, we also didn't want the evening to end.
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  but Bob, ever the problem solver, had a spark of inspiration.
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  I've got more wine in the car, he said.
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  You see, Bob had been making homemade wine in our garage.
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  For while now.
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  And he'd brought a few bottles to give to our friends.
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  So, out to the car.
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  He and Marc went, braving the cold, to retrieve one of Bob's
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  perfect poodle, Pinot Noir.
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  Named after our poodle, Pearl.
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  But how do you sneak a bottle of wine that's been in your car into a restaurant?
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  That's where Marc's trench coat came in handy.
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  before leaving the table, they slid that empty bottle of wine into Marc's
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  coat, Then returned to the car to fill it with Bob's Homemade Brew.
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  Using the Westport News as a funnel, They poured that wine into
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  the empty bottle, And snuck it quietly back onto our dining table.
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  And we toasted to our friends with our new, And yes, more delicious bottle
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  of wine, while trying to contain our laughter while our waitress lifted
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  and looked at the bottle half empty and continued to ask somewhat puzzled
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  if we wanted to order another one.
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  the third trip to the car.
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  Bob and Marc could barely keep a straight face.
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  Passersby must have thought they were doing something rather shady or sexual,
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  running back and forth to the trunk of the car in a dimly lit parking lot.
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  That night, we might not have had great fondue, but the
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  four of us still to this day.
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  Laugh till our sides ache about that evening.
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  of course, not every fondue story is smooth and delicious.
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  Take my Aunt Pat, for example.
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  She was known as a great cook and had a reputation for fabulously wild, fun
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  dinner parties, always hosting with a flair to support her husband's career.
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  My Uncle Nate.
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  One year while living in Sydney, Australia, she decided to host a
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  fondue party to impress Nate's boss.
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  She set the table beautifully, beautifully.
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  Opened the windows to let the evening breeze in, but shortly after setting the
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  fondue pot on the table, disaster struck.
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  A gust of wind caught the edge of the curtains, and suddenly
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  there was a lot more than toasting bubbling cheese in that dining room.
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  thankfully they were able to put that fire out quickly.
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  With only a charred curtain as evidence of the evening's unexpected flambé.
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  The fondue, however, was saved, and Pat's dinner party was a memorable success.
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  It also cemented my aunt's reputation as a hostess who could handle
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  literally anything unexpected.
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  Fondue.
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  Yes.
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  The letter F. Family, fun, friends, and fondue.
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  The letter F. Hmm, it certainly is one that brings about memories and stories.
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  Fondue is a great way to wrap up February if you haven't tried cheese, meat, fish,
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  or dessert fondue yet, it's worth it.
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  Will inevitably be one that will produce some sort of interesting
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  or at least memorable stories worth sharing for years to come.
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  I guarantee that any find de you create and serve with family and friends.
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  will result in fabulous stories, fonder friendships, and maybe even a few faux
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  pas, but hopefully not fires, that will be talked about for years to come.
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  If you've never made a fondue and want to know how to do so, I placed a link
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  in the show notes to a PDF that gives you exact directions on how to do so.
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  At least one of our favorite recipes.
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  Sadly, this story comes to an end, and it's time for this group of
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  February episodes to come to a close.
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  Sylvia and I hope that we're inspiring you to test, create, and
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  try new traditions of your own.
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  ones that will give you stories to talk about for years to come.
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  While doing so, please take a moment to follow, share, and rate this show.
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  Doing so will help us create a family sized helping for more episodes
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  of Family Tree Food and Stories.
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  Until next week, dig into some new treats, some new stories,
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  some new traditions, and memories.
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  And ciao.
• 9:27
  Bye bye.