This was originally published on The Huffington Post on Nov. 13, 2012.
HOUSSEN, Alsace, France -- Here in the village from where my
great-great grandparents emigrated to America, in the former province
known as Alsace, those who derive their living from the land are now a
fraction of what they were at the time my ancestors left in 1872. But
many, including the Eckerlens, my modern-day relatives that I know best,
still live off the land to a surprising degree -- especially in the
late summer and early fall.
During a visit here in September, I had a dinner and two lunches at the home of Germaine Eckerlen who lives in the village of Houssen, where my great grandfather Eugene was born in 1867. And yet everything, or nearly everything, I ate came directly from her backyard in the village. Germaine, 80 years old, is the widow of my father's third cousin. She treats me like a long-lost relative which, in fact, I am: I only discovered this village in 2000 after many years of genealogical research.
Germaine cooking in her kitchen |
During a visit here in September, I had a dinner and two lunches at the home of Germaine Eckerlen who lives in the village of Houssen, where my great grandfather Eugene was born in 1867. And yet everything, or nearly everything, I ate came directly from her backyard in the village. Germaine, 80 years old, is the widow of my father's third cousin. She treats me like a long-lost relative which, in fact, I am: I only discovered this village in 2000 after many years of genealogical research.