Mama Said - Tapa blanda

Ninety-four years ago Rosie Lee Edwards-Walker was born in Cotton Valley, Louisiana on Old Man Hayes Plantation. Her parents were sharecroppers and the only way you would get a meal you had to plant it, pick it, fetch it, or go into the woods and shoot it. Living on a farm Mom learned her survival skills at a very young age. Even though she was 9 years old, when food was needed on the table she could go into the woods with her older brothers, out-hunt and out-shoot them. They were older enough to be her father. She was a surprise baby born 19 years after her parent's first child. Despite her challenging upbringing, she was the best Mom ever to her 5 daughters. She was sweet, the most free-hearted person who would give anyone her last nickel, could read a person to a 'T' at first glance and was as funny as Richard Pryor except Mama did not curse. She was only 5 feet tall, however if you tried to harm her, her children or her family she would have made Tyler Perry's Madea look like a Nun. She has been a big influence in our life, a mentor and a friend. Mom is our 'she-ro.'

Mrs. Ethel Mae Lewis was born in Louisiana in the early 1940's. After her father was discharged from World War II the family moved to Los Angeles. Mrs. Lewis arrived just in time to start her first year of kindergarten. Mrs. Lewis is also the author of Ethel Mae's Cookbook. It has so many of her mother and other southern family members’ recipes in it. She was married once and to this union was four sons. Mrs. Lewis, who has survived both breast cancer and lymphoma, hopes her reading audience enjoys her book on the life of her parents and family.