In a recent discussion with my Operations Manager, I was discussing the importance of the WAK Mission. Not only do I want to create safer drivers now, I want basic automotive repair and empowerment to become a tradition for the next generation and the generation after. This led me to tell her about my way of cooking brisket. I know, this has nothing to do with auto repair, right? Well, actually, it has EVERYTHING to do with auto repair.
You see, when I cook a brisket, I always cut it in half. One day, as I was preparing dinner, my daughter asked me why I cut the brisket. I stopped and thought about it, and then said, “I don’t know.” The truth was, I grew up watching my mother cut the brisket in half, so I just adopted that method without ever asking why. My daughter’s question led me to ask her why she did it. And she told me her mother did. Come to find out, my grandmother, who grew up in the great depression, cut the brisket and only cooked half, saving the other half for another meal and stretching her grocery budget.
Today, nearly 100 years and 4 generations later, the brisket still gets cut in half. It has become a part of my method of cooking. I don’t think about it, I don’t question it, I just do it. And that my dear friends, is what I want automotive repair and maintenance to become for you, your daughters, their daughters and so on.
Check your air pressure and oil every time you fill your tank, and make sure your daughter watches. Let her hold the valve, the hose or pull the dipstick. Make it a regular habit, part of the routine. Tell her why you do it and encourage her to learn more. Make auto repair a tradition that gets passed down through the generations. One day, when you are too old to drive, your great granddaughter will think nothing of checking the air pressure and tire wear as she opens the car door for you and drives you safely to your weekly bingo game!
In memory of my grandmother… who always made the tastiest half briskets!
Click here for my favorite Brisket Recipes!
Mechanically Yours,
Audra