Follow the Prophet: Cook Dinner at Home

Two years ago, Meridian invited me to contribute a monthly article to their “Around the Table” column. I’ve since written a couple of dozen articles about the importance of eating dinner at home. Here’s one more reason (and my favorite) to cook at home: the prophet himself cooks!

Prior to the broadcast of President Gordon B. Hinckley’s 95^th birthday “Celebration of Life” concert, KSL Television aired an interview conducted by Carol Mikita with four of his children: Elder Richard G. Hinckley, Kathleen Walker, Virginia Pearce, and Clark  Hinckley.

Elder Richard G. Hinckley said, “People ask all the time what he eats, where he eats, and who fixes his meals. He does. He fixes it. He goes home generally for lunch and fixes a little soup and then goes back and comes home at night and fixes a little something to eat.”

Elder Hinckley then described one of his father’s dishes. “He’ll open a can of oysters and put them in some skim milk, put in a little pat of margarine and a little pepper and salt and say, ‘Isn’t this delicious?’ “ [1]

President Hinckley hasn’t always been handy in the kitchen as his wife, Marjorie, cooked for the family. Their travels and responsibilities often took President and Sister Hinckley away from home where they literally dined around the world: England, Switzerland, Egypt, India, Malaysia, China, Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa---to name only a few countries they visited together. Many times, though not on a traveling assignment, the Hinckleys were guests at one dinner or another. Sister Hinckley noted in a letter: “Tonight we go to a dinner at the Lion House honoring E. W., and from the looks of the calendar we will be well fed all week.” [2]

But as Sister Hinckley’s health declined in recent years, President Hinckley began to cook more. Food was brought in to their home at times as well. Now, on his own, President Hinckley himself—at age 95—“fixes a little something to eat.”

A long-standing tradition for all five Hinckley children is gathering at their father’s apartment for lunch one afternoon each week. Jane Dudley, in a telephone interview, said that the family has held this weekly lunch for years. They’ll usually eat a salad or soup or “whatever is in his refrigerator.” She added with a laugh, “You better have a good excuse why you can’t come!” [3] Virginia Pearce commented that their father “fixes” lunch for them—and sometimes it can be very interesting! [4]

If the prophet, who would have every excuse, including age, not to cook at all, can “fix a little something to eat,” then perhaps, the rest of us, can follow his example in this endeavor—as well as in the many other ways in which President Hinckley humbly yet boldly leads the Church, inspiring each of us 12 million Latter-day Saints to “do a little better”. [5]

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