This salad is straight out of my childhood, and my mother's, and my grandmother's. It always makes me think of my aunties, of whom I have a plethora. In this day and age, not many people can say that they have 10 aunts and 10 uncles, but I do, and that's just on my Mom's side of the family. Mom is the middle child of 11, with 7 sisters and 3 brothers.
My aunties have had a huge impact on my life. From them, almost as much as from my own mother, I learned much about what it is to be a mother and a daughter. They are strong, independent women who never stop working, but they are women who enjoy their lives fully. They are all different, and all beautiful in their own ways, but they share a common love of family and a willingness-- even an eagerness-- to help others. I don't see them often anymore, but there is no doubt in my mind that any one of them would drop whatever she was doing and come to my aid if I needed her.
Cucumber salad appeared regularly on my grandmother's table during the summer. For the last two or three decades of her life, Grandma's garden and table were tended by her daughters, and occasionally by her granddaughters. It was not a very big kitchen, but my aunties and mother were used to working together, and it always seemed big enough.
Usually, this was the smaller of at least two salads, a quiet, unobtrusive little dish that we just couldn't do without. It's refreshing and light, and completely fat-free.
Recipe: Peel and slice fresh field cucumber in coins . Slice white onion and separate into rings. Layer in a shallow dish and cover with a marinade of white vinegar, water, salt and pepper.
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