Six Defining Dishes

Age 8: Fried Squirrel My dad was a real country guy. He loved to fish and hunt, and even though we lived in Oakland, he’d bring home everything he caught and cook it. One time, I thought I was eating fried chicken but it was actually squirrel. I guess I was that weird kid who liked squirrel.

Age 16: Chicken and Dumplings After my dad died, I went to live in a foster home. There were so many of us, everything we ate came from cans or the freezer. They did their best, though. They’d take chicken breasts, then cover them in cream of mushroom soup and add a bag of frozen carrots and peas. You know those biscuits that pop out of a container? They’d squish them into the soup part before baking it. We’d eat that whenever it was someone’s birthday.