Day 10 - Beginnings - Thoughts on Food

Only thing I disliked more was the chicken spread!

I thought I'd take a look at the beginnings of my relationship with food.  My earliest memories consist of Campbells Soup, Wonder Bread, Hot Dogs, Rice a Roni (always served with Mom & I singing "Rice a Roni, the San Francisco treat, Rice a Roni, The flavor can't be beat"), and the occasional pepperoni pizza from the restaurant Mom worked at.  Grandma and Grandpa had some interesting items to add to my food memories, Spam, Hominy, Deviled Ham and Chicken Spreads, Canned Sardines, and Chung King Chicken Chow Mein.
 
Loved: Wonder Bread, Soup, Hominy, Hot Dogs, Rice a Roni, Pizza, & Sardines

Hated: Spam, Deviled Ham, Deviled Chicken, & Chung King Chow Mein

Couldn't find a photo of the whole sardines

Don't get me wrong, Mom and Grandma both made some wonderful meals.  Grandma was an especially good cook, but times were lean and sometimes the budget couldn't afford a nice roast or chicken.  It was called making the best of the situation. Most of these foods were inexpensive, though I don't know about the Sardines.  Grandpa would buy them occasionally and share with me.  They were the tiny, whole ones, packed in oil.  They came in those cans with the metal key!  Do you remember those?  I loved it when I got to be the one to pull off the key, place it in the slot, and turn, turn, turn until the lid pealed open!  Many things came in those "key" cans.  Once in a while, we even got a big ham in a can.

Mixed memories of Spam... not all bad.

I remember a picnic where mom served our hotdogs on white Wonder Bread, ketchup oozing through the soft bread.  I was about 5, and I thought it was delicious and finger lickin' messy-good!  Grandma would take hotdogs, slice down the middle but still connected, dip in her homemade pancake batter, and pan fry.  I loved those!  She also did the same with the hated Spam, and it became acceptable dinner fare for me.

We ate as the budget dictated.  Most of our foods were fresh, and you didn't toss a potato because it had grown "eyes" or had a bad spot.  You cut away the bad, and tossed the rest into the stew pot.  Bones from the ham, chicken or roast were simmered and made into soup stock.  Everything that could be used was used.  I feel a little shame that I've allowed myself to be so finicky and wasteful at times.  Another Resolution... Be Less Wasteful!

I hope this brings back some of your early food memories.



 © 10JAN12 ajj