Courtesy of the Library of Congress
My dad's mother from Virginia could really burn and if I close my eyes I can see the mountain of gorgeous food that she would put on a plate in front of me. My grandmother, who was "big boned" as folks down south like to say, gave her three grandchildren large portions. Knowing her family history, she might have done so because she grew up a poor child in the South with only the ability to dream of a plate full of food like the one she gave us. After demolishing the man sized portion grandma placed in front of me, I then moved on to dessert: sweet potato pie and layer cakes. After overeating I went into labor as waves of pain went across my almost bursting stomach. The excruciating contractions led me to repent of my gluttony. This ritual of gluttony and repentance went on for years!