Bacon Stories

Mornings on the Farm The day started early on the farm in the last foothills of the Alps in eastern Austria. My parents got up, dressed, and went straight to the barn to milk, muck out, and feed the animals. In winter, when it snowed and the icy wind whistled down from the mountain, they wrapped themselves in warm clothes and enjoyed the warmth of the animals in the barn. We had about 25 dairy cows, several bulls, and a few calves, as well as pigs, chickens, and a horse. Helping Out as Children When we were old enough, we helped out when we didn't have school. Our tasks included grooming the cows, mucking out, sweeping the aisles, cleaning the feed troughs, and refilling them with fresh feed. Grandpa accompanied us. In the hayloft, straw and hay were stored, which we could throw through a hole in the floor into the aisle in front of the cattle using a pitchfork. Once, my sister fell through such a hole and broke her leg. Evening Chores and the Taste of Bacon Bread In the evening, it was our job to fill the milk from the tank into cans so it could be taken to the collection point in the morning. Afterwards, the milking room had to be thoroughly cleaned with a broom and water jet. By the age of 13, my little sister, my two-year-older cousin, and I could already milk and handle all barn work independently. After that, the bacon bread tasted especially good. Early Rising and School Snacks Usually, my parents were in the barn by six o'clock at the latest. We children also had to get up early because our farm was on a mountain and we had a long way to school. Grandma helped us get ready for school: washing, dressing, combing, and braiding our hair. She also prepared our school snack, which, as you might guess, was often a bacon sandwich. She cut the bacon into fine rectangular strips, salted and peppered them. At school, I had to be careful while eating because these small bacon strips wanted to fall out of the bread. When my parents came back from the barn, after about an hour and a half of work, there was coffee, a buttered slice of bread, and often homemade jam, but by then we were already on our way to school. Daily Work and the Importance of Bacon Then they went back out to continue working in the fields, the forest, the orchard, the hayloft, or the barn. The work was hard and physically demanding. At half past nine, they came back in for their second breakfast: homemade bacon, freshly baked sourdough bread, and cider. Especially during heavy labor, bacon was indispensable, not only tasty but also strengthening. As luck would have it, the mailman arrived at exactly the same time in the morning and enjoyed a good piece of bacon and a glass of cider with the family. Bacon was simply part of our daily life. Meals in the Forest and Long Working Hours When my father went into the forest with the men, it often meant they wouldn't return until evening because some of our forests were high up the mountain. They took their provisions with them, and bacon was always included. In the afternoon, my mother and we children would follow and bring them hot coffee and a pastry, such as a nut cake, to the clearing. Generally, the men worked in the evenings until they were exhausted. In summer this was always until there was no more light outside, sometimes until eleven o'clock at night. Later, my father also ran a custom threshing business, and since the combine harvesters had headlights, he could work even longer. I remember that he sometimes came to our beds completely dusty after midnight, very hungry and exhausted, to quietly say good night. He was glad when all the machines worked and he could successfully complete all the day's tasks. My mother always waited for my father until he finally came home, and then she prepared a small supper for him and the hungry drivers, for example an omelet with bacon. Learning Household Skills and Sunday Meals Young girls usually attended a domestic science school during their compulsory schooling to prepare for marriage. Since my sister wanted to become a kindergarten teacher and I wanted to become a teacher, we attended a higher school. Grandma and my mother therefore decided that we had to learn at home what we missed in household management at school. Every third Sunday, my sister and I were responsible for preparing the meal and setting the Sunday table while everyone else went to church, and in this way we learned very early to cook and handle food. Of course, bacon wasn't just an everyday snack. It was also on the menu on Sundays and holidays, for example as a side dish to roast beef in the form of bacon beans, which were very popular at our home. During the week, we often ate bacon dumplings or cabbage noodles with bacon. Summer Duties and Father's Love for Work In summer, while the parents were in the barn, we children had to handle the phone and take calls from customers who had ripe crops and needed one of our combine harvesters. We had to write down names and phone numbers and note the expected day of harvest readiness. If bad weather was forecast, the phone rang incessantly because everyone wanted to get the grain in before it got wet. When Dad came from the barn and had eaten his scrambled eggs with bacon, he called everyone back and planned his appointments. On days when he knew he wouldn't be home for lunch, there was a more substantial breakfast. Father's Dedication and Bacon Tradition My father loved work, and there was always something to be done. For him, work was an essential part of life and a source of satisfaction, not merely a duty. I am very grateful that he instilled this attitude in me and passed on his love for our bacon tradition, just as I pass it on to my children.