First of all, let’s get one thing straight-I adored my father.
And another thing, I do not blame him.
That being said, let me give you a glimpse into my childhood:
Every Monday night we had Kentucky Fried Chicken-barbecue and extra crispy.
Every Saturday morning we would visit “The Poppe Shoppe” where a variety of glass bottled soda pop awaited us in a multitude of flavors. My personal favorite was pineapple. We brought it home in cases, along with the day old Zingers the store offered as well.
Dad was all about a bargain. If he had a coupon for something-he used it. That meant lots of trips to Burger King and Shakey’s Pizza.
One of my most memorable family outings was attending the Grand Opening of Wendy’s in the neighboring town. I was fascinated by the square burgers and the newspaper decor on the tables.
When I grew up, my Dad would call me before I would come home to visit to discuss the menu. Dad was also an awesome cook but it mostly involved lots of deep frying.
My Dad grew up in the diners his parents operated and so I cannot really blame him.
Maybe I can blame my grandparents?
My Dad showed his love by giving things and by “things”, it usually meant food.
Looking back, it doesn’t surprise me that so many of my childhood memories involve food.
When I was a sophomore in High School a boy in our school was killed in a car accident. Teenagers think they are invincible and when one of your peers dies, it kind of rocks your world. After we got the phone call that our friend had died from his injuries, my sisters and I immediately burst into tears.
But the very next thing we did was break open a bag of chips and inhaled it through our tears.
I should have known then that I had a problem.
5 Comments
Who died?
Food is for my comfort and my celebration, but rarely for my health.
I definitely have a “relationship” with food. I’d like to know what woman doesn’t??? It seems like the only time I don’t turn to food is when I am not stressed, exercising, and happy. (Tha combination hasn’t occurred in a while!)
Since stress is such a big part of my life, it is hard to escape the feeling like I need some comfort food to make everything better.
I mean really, is there anything a bag of peanut m&ms can’t fix?
What? You mean food is not a cure for sadness, grief, stress, anxiety and depression? I had no idea. I guess I have a problem too. Does this mean that food should not also be used a reward for yourself when you’ve made it through a tough day?
Who did die? T? Because I thought you were a junior then. Maybe it was someone else. Maybe I was in 8th grade not 9th like I think I was. Whatever. I think the main point is potato chips do not cure sadness. But still think of all the food people bring over to your house when someone dies. Maybe a lot of us have this “food cures all our sorrows” issue!
I miss Dad and all the food he used to give us! Gotta go eat some chips now! Thanks, Jen! J/K
It was him and maybe I was a junior. My memory is fading. I was a junior.
Are you sure kfc was EVERY monday? Boy, I sure could go for some kfc barbeque chicken right now.