What we eat as children can determine our palates and attitudes for the rest of our lives. As someone interested in how people have historically thought and acted about food, I collected numerous oral histories. Ruth Thorpe Miller grew up in Harlem, New York. She recalls from her childhood that “my mother made banana pudding, sweet potato pie, you know, apple pie, lemon meringue pie, and cakes. ” Her mother migrated to New York from Savannah, Georgia and raised her children during the depression. When life gave Ruth’s mom lemons during the Depression, she made a lemon meringue pie! As an elder, Thorpe Miller remained optimistic during difficult times seemed to enjoy baking for her family and others.