While I was growing up, the answer to the question “What’s for supper?” was usually answered by an indication of what meat was being served. Beef, chicken, ham, and pork were the main stars with lamb a distant fifth with liver much farther down the list. Turkey was a Thanksgiving or Christmas treat. Bean soup might make the list if it was loaded with ham or bacon. Beans were usually at most a side dish. Now there are many bean dishes I enjoy but if asked what I would like for an evening meal, it is almost never that bean dishes that come to mind. I know that it takes far less energy to produce the equivalent protein in plant sources than in animal sources. Beans are more environmentally friendly as far as I can tell. They contain no cholesterol. I did see a hand written sign in a Kroger store advertising fat free avocado when the writer meant cholesterol free avocado. A strong argument can be made for a plant based diet, but I admit I still prefer meat. I am trying however, to add a few more bean entrees to the Spaulding home diet. There are a number of good choices. Most of us like chili, but red beans and rice or Hoppin’ John (black-eyed peas and rice, refried beans, 3 bean salad, Brazilian black beans and rice (feijoada), US Senate Dining Room White beans Soup, and many tofu dishes to name but a few. Slowly I’m learning how to flavor bean dishes to bring them up to the level of delight I expect from my food. However, old habits are hard to break so I still think first of meat and potato dishes. Change always seems so hard even when the goal is a better life. If you have some family favorite bean dishes, let me have your recipes. They probably won’t replace steak and baked potato, but they may be added to the menu rotation. After all even a 76 year old amateur cook can still learn to change for the better.