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During four magical days in late September, I attended an Elderhostel to explore the food and wines of Rhode Island. The weather was spectacular, flowers bloomed everywhere, the guides were knowledgeable and the natives friendly. My beloved Red Sox even won three straight games during my stay.

These are some thoughts gleaned from this exhilarating experience.

In 1636, English clergyman Roger Williams was expelled from the Massachusetts Bay colony for his tolerant and free-thinking outlook.

He founded the colony of Rhode Island (originally called Aquidneck) at Providence and attracted other like-minded people to his side.

The original inhabitants were primarily English with a sprinkling of Dutch and other Europeans. In 1708, the first census showed a population of about 7,000 souls.

Rhode Island continued to grow and, after America won its independence, the colony abolished slavery in 1784, a signal achievement. In 1792, Rhode Island became our thirteenth state.

During the 19th century, the state was industrialized and attracted waves of immigrants such as the Italians and Irish. Portuguese fishermen also arrived and many French Canadians came from the north to work in mill towns.

These people have heavily influenced the culture and cuisine of the area ever since.

In the late 20th century, people from Asia, South America and the Caribbean arrived, lending the state a thoroughly cosmopolitan flavor. The most important recent impact on Providence, called the City of Seven Hills, was brought about by former mayor Buddy Cianci who decided to re-invent his city. If you recall it as a worn out relic of the past with poor streets and dilapidated buildings, you need to take a new look.

No town ever had a more complete renaissance than this state capital, and today it’s a vibrant and exciting place.

Cranes are outlined against the sky in every direction as new hotels and office buildings rise — they hope to make this a huge convention center.

Spend a day on Federal Hill, the Italian district, and you will lose your heart and think of taking up residence in this small state.

A few years ago, artist Barnaby Evans devised an “event” called Water Fire in Providence. About a hundred fires are lit at night in large braziers along the three downtown rivers, and they burn until one in the morning.

If you go on line and Google this, you will get a small taste of what it’s like and hear the sounds of the fires. Without the heat, the ethereal music, the dancers, mimes and other entertainers, you won’t realize the full experience, but it’s a hint that will have you longing to be there. It attracts thousands of people each time it takes place.

At a breakfast with Linda Beaulieu, author in 2006 of The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook, she remarked that the local foods don’t translate well to other areas.

Things like clear clam chowder, Johnny Cakes, coffee milk (the state drink), Dell’s lemonade slush and others, seem to remain at home. It’s a shame, too, because some of these foods are simply wonderful.

Johnny Cakes

Having spent 22 years in New England before arriving on Marco, I have my own collection of recipes. There are dozens of ways to make these delightful cakes, which used to be given to travelers setting out on a journey, and “Journey Cakes” became Johnny Cakes — or so we are told.

This recipe would never lend itself to travel, but it is delicious with clam chowder or any other soup. It’s also served with salads, fish dinners, or with syrup at breakfast instead of pancakes.

1 rounded cup yellow cornmeal (original recipe says 3-1/2 heaping cooking spoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups boiling water

2 ounces cold milk

Butter

Combine dry ingredients in a flour sifter and sift into mixing bowl. Scald thoroughly with boiling water and thin with cold milk. With a large cooking spoon, drop a heaping spoonful of batter onto a hot, well-greased griddle and spread batter gently to make a cake about 4 inches in diameter.

Fry slowly on each side until brown and crusty; insides will still be soft. Serve cakes very hot and pass the butter. This is not a slimming recipe, but life is too short to give up everything.

Not your typical food

We attended a tent festival called The Taste of Newport which featured the usual food and drink, plus many arts and crafts of the area. As I wandered the aisles and tents on my own, the amazing thing was that I never found a single thing which represented the town . I had a crab cake (Maryland), brats on a bun with kraut (Wisconsin), some small squares of Cabot cheese (Vermont), an ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry’s (also Vermont) and some Ghirardelli chocolate samples (California). So much for Rhode Island fare — I had to go shopping later in downtown Newport to find Dell’s lemonade mix, a local favorite — great alone or with liquor added.

Stuffies

These pop up all over New England in countless versions, but Rhode Islanders claim to gave invented them — who knows? The Quahog (pronounced CO-hog) clam is large and tough, much like conch, and has to be cleaned, ground and boiled to tenderize it for chowder and other things.

This old recipe is adapted for people who get their clams at the market in cans.

Melt in skillet: 4 ounces butter

Dice fine and add: 2 stalks celery and 1 large yellow onion

Add: 3 small cans minced clams (do not drain)

Season with: ¼ teaspoon each dry mustard and fresh cracked black pepper

Simmer: until vegetables are tender and liquid decreases quite a bit

Add: 1 cup or more Ritz (or similar) cracker crumbs (the old directions say to make a pleasing mix)

Stuff: into buttered clam shells or ramekins

Sprinkle: paprika on top

Bake: 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees until golden and slightly bubbly

Serve: with lemon wedges and hot pepper sauce.

Some cooks use fresh bread crumbs, some the Italian style, and some recipes include a little minced green pepper.

Take your choice here.