Though she had to downplay her heritage during WW2 and even before, Mom was still proud of being German. She once told me though about the anti-German sentiment that permeated the country during both WW1 and WW2. Anti-Nazi was often interwoven with anti-German approaches. Wasn't every German a Nazi? No, they were not. And many, like my Grandfather, were vehemently opposed to Nazism.
Mom grew up hearing how horrible Germans were, even though WW1 was over by the time she was born. So vehement was the anti-German attitude that it was given a psychiatric name: Teutophobia. In America, the Justice Department tried to make lists of German citizens and over 4,000 were arrested as spies. Later, German street names would be changed, schools stopped teaching German as a language, and many American Germans changed their names to a more anglo version.
Things didn't let up during WW2 and Americans from Germany, regardless of how long they had lived in the US, were suspect. Some landed in camps here in America, set aside for Germans, much like the camps holding the Japanese, with Germans quartered in these camps being sent to forced labor in Europe. Some of these were teenagers.
Mom grew up living under the specter of anti-German sentiments. So she kept quiet about being German. Her maiden name, Haller, could pass for both German and English as well as Swiss and Scottish. So they really didn't have to explain themselves and, as Mom said: "We could let people assume."
Anyway, Mom made this delicious warm potato salad. This recipe feeds eight people and is quite easy to make.
- 10 cups (3 lb) red potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 4oz jar drained and chopped pimientos
The Dressing
- 1 cup fat-free chicken broth (can use reduced sodium)
- 3/4 cup vinegar
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp sugar or sugar substitute
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp celery seed (NOT SALT!)
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Mix well and place in the skillet on medium and whisk until thickened.
- Cook potatoes until tender, and drain.
- Place in a large bowl, and add onion and pimento.
- Cook the bacon until it's crisp. Pour off the grease and clean out the skillet.
- In the skillet, combine the dressing (see below) and whisk to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
- Pour over potatoes and toss.
- Crumble the bacon over the top.
- Serve immediately.
My personal preference is to cook the onions down but Mom liked hers raw.