A True Realization Story
by Mandoo Brownegg

Two things happened to me recently, and these two things converged together to form one big realize. I was watching QVC, as sometimes I am wont to do, and they were selling some type of newfangled skillet. They were discussing how these wonderful skillets were an improvement on cast-iron, because cast-iron must be seasoned again and again. They mentioned that many people would never wash their cast-iron skillets for this reason. This hearkened me back to my childhood days visiting my grandparents. My favorite thing was to wake up at their house and have a heaping plate full of sausage. My mom never cooked sausage at our house, so it was a real treat. I remember their big black cast-iron skillet, and the crumbly, bumpy way it looked inside as they got it out of the cupboard. It had never occured to me that maybe they never washed it. Information noted and stored in brain.

Then for Conference, I made a big pan of sausage. This is also a treat for my kids, because sausage is not good for you, and I don't make it that often. I didn't feel like washing the pan until the next day, and the grease was congealed and left my pan smelling of a sickening dog-food type smell. This smell once again brought me back to my grandparent's house. I always thought the smell came from their dogs, but it was actually THE UNWASHED SAUSAGE PAN!!! That's so gross. Realize.