--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...Mabel put on the boiled potatos…" description: "\"“...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed tomatos, some inferior dried beef, and some bread that plainly said, 'Darling, I am growing o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png" --- # ...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed… ![“...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed tomatos, some inferior dried beef, and some bread that plainly said, 'Darling, I am growing old'.” quote by Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png) > ““...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed tomatos, some inferior dried beef, and some bread that plainly said, 'Darling, I am growing old'.”” [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A modest, humble meal reflects aging and love, using food as a metaphor for life's simple, enduring comforts. **In simple terms:** Simple food shows love and aging. Key Takeaway Cherish everyday moments and modest comforts. Themes family aging comfort humor food Mood nostalgic warm reflective Type literary humorous reflective When to use this quote - daily dinner - family gatherings - elderly care - comfort food - reflection Key Concepts Domesticity metaphor humor Questions to Reflect On - How do everyday rituals reveal love? - What does aging teach about simplicity? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper emotional needs behind the humor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boiled Potatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boiled-potatos-3213319/) [Darling Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darling-growing-3213320/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Mabel Boiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mabel-boiled-3213318/) [Stewed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stewed-311341/) ## Related quotes > [“Lt. Denice Barnum at the helm gave a sigh, then replaced her nail file on the control panel, beside her spray bottle of nail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/lt-denice-barnum-at-the-helm-gave-a-sigh-then-replaced-her-nail-file/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [“Mug of tea, sarge?’ said Snouty. ‘Stewed for an hour and two sugars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/mug-of-tea-sarge-said-snouty-stewed-for-an-hour-and-two-sugars/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I sometimes compare making a film to cooking. Some dishes need to be stewed, while others need to be fried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wong-kar-wai/i-sometimes-compare-making-a-film-to-cooking-some-dishes-need-to-be/) [Wong Kar-wai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wong-kar-wai/) > [They say I need to be seasoned; they say I need to be stewed. They say, 'We need to boil all the hope out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/they-say-i-need-to-be-seasoned-they-say-i-need-to-be-stewed-they-say/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-s-no-more-faith-in-thee-than-in-a-stewed-prune/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The people I've respected most in the industry over the years - Paul Newman, for instance. I just loved the way he handled growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-people-i-ve-respected-most-in-the-industry-over-the-years-paul/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [M is for the million things she gave me, O means only that she's growing old, T is for the tears she shed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/m-is-for-the-million-things-she-gave-me-o-means-only-that-she-s/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“Till now they send him dreams and no more deed; So doth he flame again with might for action, Forgetful of the council of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/till-now-they-send-him-dreams-and-no-more-deed-so-doth-he-flame-again/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The time to begin most things is ten years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-time-to-begin-most-things-is-ten-years-ago/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Bess Streeter Aldrich > [“And of course, everybody thinks it's just like it used to be when the Indians jazzed around and played 'You're it' with arrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/and-of-course-everybody-thinks-it-s-just-like-it-used-to-be-when-the/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [Things last so much longer than people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/things-last-so-much-longer-than-people/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [You have to dream things out. It keeps a kind of an ideal before you. You see it first in your mind and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/you-have-to-dream-things-out-it-keeps-a-kind-of-an-ideal-before-you/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [It takes a small town to keep you humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/it-takes-a-small-town-to-keep-you-humble/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“Hours fly...Flowers die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/hours-fly-flowers-die/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/christmas-eve-was-a-night-of-song-that-wrapped-itself-about-you-like/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [A person may encircle the globe with mind open only to bodily comfort. Another may live his life on a sixty-foot lot and listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/a-person-may-encircle-the-globe-with-mind-open-only-to-bodily-comfort/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“Hair, to Tillie, meant nothing by way of being a woman's crowning glory. It was merely, as the dictionary so ably states, small horny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/hair-to-tillie-meant-nothing-by-way-of-being-a-woman-s-crowning-glory/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“...Uncle Harry Wentworth's dollar was turned deep under the sod. But though the sun shone on it and the rain fell, nothing ever came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/uncle-harry-wentworth-s-dollar-was-turned-deep-under-the-sod-but/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [When I was young I had no means or time, and now I have the means and time, I have no youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/when-i-was-young-i-had-no-means-or-time-and-now-i-have-the-means-and/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [They are the most painful tears in the world ... the tears of the aged ... for they come from dried beds where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/they-are-the-most-painful-tears-in-the-world-the-tears-of-the-aged/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“I've tried to keep pleasant," Mabel went on. "You don't know how I've tried. I have that verse pinned up on my dresser, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/i-ve-tried-to-keep-pleasant-mabel-went-on-you-don-t-know-how-i-ve/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“Then she laughed, a bubbling, deliciously girlish laugh, and the Thing relaxed its hold on her heart, turned up its toes, and died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/then-she-laughed-a-bubbling-deliciously-girlish-laugh-and-the-thing/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [“All my girlhood I always planned to do something big…something constructive. It’s queer what ambitious dreams a girl has when she is young. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/all-my-girlhood-i-always-planned-to-do-something-big-something/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) > [It was true, she thought, that the big things awe us but the little things touch us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/it-was-true-she-thought-that-the-big-things-awe-us-but-the-little/) [Bess Streeter Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) [Explore all 49 Bess Streeter Aldrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/) ## More Growing old quotes > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The time to begin most things is ten years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-time-to-begin-most-things-is-ten-years-ago/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [“Till now they send him dreams and no more deed; So doth he flame again with might for action, Forgetful of the council of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/till-now-they-send-him-dreams-and-no-more-deed-so-doth-he-flame-again/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [M is for the million things she gave me, O means only that she's growing old, T is for the tears she shed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/m-is-for-the-million-things-she-gave-me-o-means-only-that-she-s/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The people I've respected most in the industry over the years - Paul Newman, for instance. I just loved the way he handled growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-people-i-ve-respected-most-in-the-industry-over-the-years-paul/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-look-forward-to-growing-old-and-wise-and-audacious/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [“The freedom of growing older is that one is no longer obliged to dislike someone simply because they dislike you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/the-freedom-of-growing-older-is-that-one-is-no-longer-obliged-to/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“Sometimes seeing the changes in one another had the opposite effect and actually comforted them. Seeing that they weren’t alone in growing older, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/sometimes-seeing-the-changes-in-one-another-had-the-opposite-effect/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“But the disastrous walk reminded me that I had reached an age where only careful planning and a steady eye would keep me safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-darling/but-the-disastrous-walk-reminded-me-that-i-had-reached-an-age-where/) [Lynn Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-darling/) > [I think, is wonderful about growing older, is appreciation for the miracle of existence, of life. I thank God every day. I also do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-think-is-wonderful-about-growing-older-is-appreciation-for-the/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [“There was some kind of cultural cause for the decline of the ancient world. It was neither corruption of public spirit nor Christianity. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/there-was-some-kind-of-cultural-cause-for-the-decline-of-the-ancient/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) [Browse all 577 Growing old quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed tomatos, some inferior dried beef, and some bread that plainly said, 'Darling, I am growing old'.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bess Streeter Aldrich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed-the-stewed-tomatos-some/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Growing old" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed-the-stewed-tomatos-some/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/bess-streeter-aldrich-13684_growing-old_mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed_1957713.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...Mabel put on the boiled potatos, unmashed, the stewed tomatos, some inferior dried beef, and some bread…” — Bess Streeter Aldrich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bess Streeter Aldrich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-streeter-aldrich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...Mabel put on the boiled potatos,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed-the-stewed-tomatos-some/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-streeter-aldrich/mabel-put-on-the-boiled-potatos-unmashed-the-stewed-tomatos-some/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```