I had a wonderful trip to the grocery store yesterday. For the most part, I always enjoy grocery shopping. Sometimes I dread going but always seem to enjoy my time once I get there. It took some getting used to when I had my daughter. Her carrier was too big to fit on the top of the cart, so I had to fit it in the body of the cart. Let me tell you, those first 4-5 months, we were on quite the budget because I could only fit about $40.00 worth of groceries in there because she took up so much room in the cart. :) I was excited once she could sit up in the front of the cart with me so she could look around and enjoy the sights of the food and that I got my space back and didn't have to go three times a week to keep enough food in the house! She really enjoys looking at the food, and sometimes has to sample a few things before we make it to the checkout lane.
All that to say, while grocery shopping solo yesterday, I sat in front of an item that I have looked at for years with wondernment. Have you ever seen that bread in a can that is sold near the canned foods? It's brown bread...in a can! I have always been puzzled by the concept of bread in a can. I have seen it for years and always wondered, "Who eats that?!". Well, I decided to ask the question of my mom. I called her when I left the store and asked her if she knew anything about this bread in a can business. She laughed and proceeded to tell me about her fond memories from her childhood of that exact item. She said it was always present at special family meals and that when eaten with cream cheese, it was to die for! She said it was very moist and must have gobs of molasses in it because it is very dark. She then went on to tell me a few other items she remembered eating as a child and what great memories it brought to her of her and mom. I plan to buy some of this bread in a can the next time I am at the store and eat some with my mom to bring back a warm memory for her. :)
I began to think of foods I ate when I young that bring back fond memories. One food is avocado. My mom would split an avocado in two, pierce it with a fork and sprinkle soy sauce on it...yummo! She and I would share that as a special treat. I wasn't allowed dairy when I was young, but every now and then, my dad would let me have a snack size container of Haagen Daz. He sold it in the health food store, and I would always salivate over it in the freezer section. So, when I got one of those, I savored each bite like it was my last meal. My dad lived on a huge piece of land in Hawaii that had mango trees on it. We would sit in the tall grass and eat mangoes until we were sick! We would also grill fish on the weekends when I would stay with him, nothin' like Hawaiian Mahi-Mahi over charcoal. Those foods can take me back to being a young girl in Hawaii, and I can almost smell the same smells and feel the air that surrounded me as a child. Those are wonderful memories that will be with me always.
So, I have a question then for you? What are your favorite food memories?
Me, my dad, a bowl of PB&J (that's it) and NASCAR. Thanks for being a friend anyway.....;)
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law can cook. My mother-in-law tries to cook. The story of their first date where April ruined a chicken recipe is re-told at every gathering and I lauch until I cry every time. Needless to say that expeience lives on in my wife's cooking (she will start reading this blog though!). It's like ill-preparing food is a family tradition.
Also, there was the time my bro-in-law cut MY turkey at MY house! But that's something else intirely.
i'm totally stuck on the fact that your dad sold haagen daz at his health food store. :) cracks me up.
ReplyDeletemy brother and i got a jar of marachino cherries every christmas from our grandparents along with our other gifts. i still think of christmas every time i eat a cherry!
It is with a very full heart that I want to thank my Summy for starting this blog! It has brought back so many fun and wonderful memories. Bless my precious children for eating what I put in front of them!!! Maybe one of Sums posts will be about the start of our composting experience in Hawaii! I will say that what my babies ate was very important to me. A favorite food memory for me was driving up into the middle of nowhere in Hawaii to get fresh raw goat milk when Sums was weining. I had a wonderful friend who grew most of the family's food. She and I would trade biodegradeable cleaners and vitamins for goat milk and veggies! When she came to my house she'd open the trunk of her car and it was always so exciting to pick my organic veggies that had just been picked that day! She was such a wonderful woman. She had four boys and home schooled them all. She taught them math by teaching them to cook. They made amazing meals for the family! Fruit smoothies were something my kiddos really loved helping me make. Oh I don't want to bore you but Sums remember the fruit ice cream we used to make. The fresh fruits in Hawaii were soooooo delicious! Not sure how this works but this is Patti, Sums mom
ReplyDelete