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Maggie Poppa: Halton author talks about her foodie memoirs
Grant Woodward speaks to Halton author Maggie Poppa about what inspired her to write her 'foodie memoir'.
Maggie Poppa ran her own successful recruitment consultancy before retirement and is now a writer.
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She met her partner John Rowlstone at a dining club and their shared love of food saw them eat their way around Britain, Europe and the United States.
Two years ago, John was diagnosed with mouth cancer and, knowing that he would not be able to eat certain foods again, during his recovery the pair talked about the meals they had shared.
This led the 66-year-old to write her first book I Am What I Ate, which was published last year.
"The thing I'm most proud of is getting my book published, because you start things and never know if you're going to finish them.
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"I contacted a few publishers but soon realised that unless you're writing what I call a 'misery memoir' they're not interested, so I published it myself.
"It's all about me trying to unpick where my love affair with food started, with my life story woven around it.
"I wrote the book because I realised that throughout my life, my memories have been linked to food, and I've often said that one day I would put them down on paper
"Now it looks as though new, shared food experiences will be few and far between, so I thought it was a good time to write it.
The one thing I couldn't live without is Google. The PC is on all day and even when I'm watching TV I will go on it to see what someone used to be in.
"I can sit there playing on it all day, thinking up things to ask it.
My first job was a Saturday job when I was about 15.
I worked at a shop called Eve Brown on Kirkgate and my task was to hang up the coats after people had tried them on. I was never allowed to sell anything or use the till but occasionally I could wrap things up.
"I was an only child and I was adopted. My parents were a little older than the norm – my dad was 47 when he and my mum adopted me.
It meant that they used to take me to the adult things they did like old-time dancing and whist drives, which I used to spend drawing.
"I didn't try to track down my birth parents whilst my adoptive mum and dad were still alive because I thought they would be hurt.
When I did trace my birth mum's family I discovered she had died a few years before.
"My first boyfriend was called Jack and was out in Malta with the Army. We started out as pen friends and he was five years older than me which was quite a big gap at the time.
"When he came home to Leeds I remember going to meet him on a November day and being frightened to death. I was only 16.
We went out for about a year and then I realised he was keen on settling down but I didn't want to at that stage because I thought I would be missing out on something.
"People might be surprised to know that I'm actually quite shy. It's true that I can stand up in front of an audience and speak but I find it difficult walking into a room of strangers and having a face-to-face conversation with someone I've only just met.
"I think there is genuine confidence and then there are people like me who put a front to cover their shyness.
"The best advice I've ever received is to think before you speak. The trouble is that I still find it difficult to take notice of it. I'm the world's worst and putting my hand up and saying something.
"It's only afterwards that I think, 'Why on earth did I do that?'
"My philosophy on life is to never turn down opportunities – if it sounds exciting, do it. You might come unstuck but you will never know what it could bring unless you do it.
"You never know how long you've got left. When you reach my age and start to lose friends you realise it's going to be you one day.
It's important to pack in as much as you can.
"The person I would most like to meet is Michael Caine. I've been a great fan of his ever since I saw Zulu and Alfie. I interview someone every week for the Down Your Way magazine and would love to be able to interview him."
"I would ask him to tell me the story about how he saw his wife on television and knew she was the woman for him.
"I think that's such a romantic story and they're still married today.
The last time I cried was seeing the Royal Variety Performance and watching the actor Douglas Hodge doing a performance from Cage Aux Folles. He made it his own and it brought me to tears.
"Apart from that, the dreadful Baby P stories make me cry, thinking about the horrific things these little mites have been through.
"The best thing about Leeds and Yorkshire is the people.
They are just so friendly, steadfast and resourceful. As well as being, for the most part, very honest.
"My favourite joke is one my granddaughter Sadie told me. 'How do you get lots of Pikachu on a bus? You Pokemon.' I don't know why but I laughed till I cried when she told me that."
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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