Though I have lived 4/5 of my life outside of the state of Texas, my family roots for generations are in Texas. The item that reminds me not only where I come from but as from whom I come is a cast iron skillet. Though not a popular kitchenware today, a cast iron skillet has been a kitchen staple in my family for generations.  The women in my family, for as far back as the collective family memory can go, has had a cast iron skillet.  I can remember both my paternal and maternal grandmothers cooking in cast iron.  My mother got hers at her wedding shower, the same skillet in which she taught me to cook.  I have the skillet that my mother gifted me when I moved into my first apartment.  I have memories of the tastes, textures, and smells of that food enjoyed at family meals.

Historically, my family did not have the economic ability to purchase more expensive options. They understood the value of cast iron in which you can fry a chicken, simmer a soup, or bake a cobbler.  They are so sturdy as to be nearly indestructible.  One skillet will last longer than a lifetime.  And so, a cast iron skillet is a metaphor of how I view my family.  We are not fancy people, but we are adaptable, reliable and hard working.  We last.  

– Michele Rowley

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more