When daughter Anne graduated from college (Rhodes, Class of 2000) the speaker was a billionaire who founded Netscape or something similar and was granted an honorary degree.
During the graduation ceremony, the term “honoris causa” came up.
This was a term with which I wasn’t familiar and the Internet wasn’t the tool for research that it is today, so I wrote a professor at Rhodes to ask him/her what “honoris causa” meant.
It means “the awarding of a degree without examination” OR “for honor’s sake.” In MY MIND, I had interpreted it to mean “for the good of the cause. ” This has stayed in my brain lo these (amazingly fast) past 10 years.
That speaker was from Mississippi and no doubt the powers that be at Rhodes hoped that he might send some money their way. He didn’t appear to bite that bait at the time, although he did donate millions to public schools in Mississippi.
He also gave one of the most notable speeches I have ever heard, in which he said: “When I die, if I have one dollar left to my name, it will be because my accountants have not done a proper job in giving it away.”
He intended to share his fortunes before he left this earth.
I think often of this lofty goal and how important a legacy it could mean in so many ways.
I started to use the term “honoris causa” in my own forms, subjecting it for my own use.
This week I found myself wanting to make “Garlic Pickles,” a tried and true Murfreesboro recipe that Tommy’s grandmother Luree Bragg made at Christmas time.
Although “Meema” never passed this recipe to me in her own handwriting, numerous other friends have been making these southern pickles for years and have shared their recipes with me.
As a testament to this tradition, in years past the aisles of Jr’s Foodland on East Main Street started stacking gallon jars of sour pickles on the floor in the pickle aisle after Thanksgiving but sadly, when I checked with Jr’s this week, they were unable to get them this year.
Tony Gonzales, friend and manager of the Publix on Salem Highway, did get a jar for me, and he said he intends to try to get more (at least next year, if not in time for this year).
I made this year’s first batch from dill pickles, which turned out OK, but I prefer those made with the sour ones. And with Tony’s help I plan to make one more batch today.
The recipe basically involves draining the pickle juice, cutting them in slices and covering them with sugar, vinegar and spices.
Once I shared a jar with friend Sydney (Kimbrough) Boerner, who was raised in Nashville.
“Oh, you’ve made ‘Christmas Pickles!” She exclaimed.
In Nashville cooks added red and green candied cherries into the mix as a Christmas custom.
Since then red and green cherries have been a staple in my recipe. They add a festive touch.
Although the following may seem like a lot of effort for a little reward (unfortunately, a one gallon jar only yielded six small jars this year), tradition dictates I persist and I would like to share the recipe with you; "honoris causa" and all.
‘Til next week.
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