Childhood Fond Memory Snacks

01.06.2011

We all have fond memories from our childhood and a lot of mine are closely intertwined with food. Shocking, I know.

So to indulge in the sweet nature of narcissism that is blogging (pun intended), I’m going to share some of my favorite childhood snacks.

Frosted Animal Cookies – For my 9^th birthday, my mom said she’d buy treats for me to share with my classmates. As a grad student, she didn’t have a lot of money so I knew I had to pick my treat wisely and economically. My favorite cookies were the Frosted Animal cookies and though I don’t eat them anymore, I smile whenever I see them.

Doritos Cool Ranch Flavor – 5^th grade. If you didn’t have them, you were not cool.

Skor Candy Bar and a New York Seltzer – Summers of 1986 and 1987. If you didn’t consume these in massive quantities and, most importantly, together, you were not cool.

I wonder what will be our child’s “fond memories snacks?” (Hopefully a healthy one will be thrown in.)

Endings

09.10.10

Death. It doesn’t matter who we are, what we believe in or how we behave. The only thing that truly unites us universally is that we all will one day be but a mere memory.

To have so many people die at about the same time is a bit…heart-wrenching especially when two of the deaths are so closely related to my childhood. I don’t wish pain on anyone with whom I’m no longer friends but I know that my former friend (and her family) are going through a lot. Their mom wasn’t Lithuanian but the community adopted her in and every summer at scout camp, she (the mom) was the head cook where we all worked with her at some point during our chore rotation. We adored her. She always had a smile on her face and was already ready to sit and talk with you whenever you needed.

Her husband is and always was a huge flirt but no matter how much he’d flirt his way through a room, when he looked at his wife, there was undying love and devotion. You couldn’t miss that in his eyes. In fact, they were a rare example for me growing up that a marriage can last. I have this foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach that he may pass in the next year himself because having to live without her might be too much.

It’s a strange feeling to lose someone from your childhood. On a day-to-day basis, we don’t pay attention to the ticking clock of our life but when a death occurs, it makes you stop and ponder the years that have gone by. And those memories, at least for me, are always bittersweet.

Rest in peace, A. You will be missed.

Lights! Camera! Memories.

09.03.2010

When I was eight/nine years old, I discovered the world of film or, I should say, the seed that was planted when I saw Star Wars at the age of three began to sprout. I grew up with foreign students living with us and, at that time, there was a group from Japan, France, and Switzerland who were all fans of movies and who would let me tag along when they went to a kid-friendly movie. Those are such great memories for many reasons, one being that I got to delve into other worlds. And not just the movie’s world but my curiosity about the world behind the camera began to grow (that Star Wars seed).

What I most remember about my favorite movies from that time (and my list is below) is their story. There was no dependence on special effects or sexy wardrobe to sell box office tickets. It was the story that brought tears, that brought laughter and that brought cheers and, though I admit to not watching kids’ movies today unless they’re Pixar, I don’t know if story really applies anymore. I see movies like Spy Kids and Beverly Hills Chihuahua and I wonder how much story exists over product placement and special effects. But maybe I’m wrong and what I’m remembering is not so much the actual movies but the happy memories they brought...

My list (in no particular order and between my ages of 8-12):

- The Goonies

- Explorers

- The Journey of Natty Gann

- Lady and the Tramp

- Bambi

- Annie

- Adventures in Babysitting

- The Empire of the Sun

- Amadeus

- E.T.

- The Karate Kid

- The Neverending Story

- Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

- An American Tail

- Flight of the Navigator

- Benji: The Hunted

- Short Circuit

Potential Memories

03.15.2010

On my walk this morning, I was thinking about a conversation that I overheard yesterday between two men who were talking about their respective hometowns back in Texas. There was one thing that was mentioned that really stuck out for me and not because it’s some brand new concept that I’ve never considered, but, let’s just say, I sort of saw it from a slightly different angle.

The two men were talking about how whenever they go back to the towns in which they either grew up or in which they spent many years of their lives, the town had drastically changed from when they lived there. I’m sure most have experienced something similar where you go back to an area you knew well and it’s changed. The store you used to frequent is now a parking lot or the house in which you lived is now an apartment complex or a completely different house. This is the natural progression of things and no one is immune.

But this idea of going back and visiting a place from your childhood, for example, really stuck with me. My hometown isn’t too far from where I currently reside and, yet, the idea of going and visiting makes me nervous. I’ve been a few times since I moved from there in the late 70s, but it’s probably been over 10 or 15 years since I’ve gone back to visit. And that time was probably the first time since I left. But when I think about that place, the little apartment my mom was renting across the street from the park, I have incredibly fond memories. And this made me think about the possibility of creating fond memories for and with my own child.

This was a rare moment. I imagined having a child sit on my lap and to whom I read a bedtime story. Or holding his/her hand down the street as we tried to catch up to the butterfly that fluttered from one flower to the next. Or sitting on a park bench sharing a sandwich. These priceless moments can’t be manufactured or planned. These kinds of moments are spontaneous and become not only enriching, but help in defining one’s soul. Serving as a mere guide to the world as it exists now is reciprocated in a child’s eyes and imagination when he/she shares his/her insight with you. You can’t get this from another adult. And for a fleeting moment I caught a glimpse of a possible future of having all of those potential memories created. It would be nice to have new memories created with the same richness that I have of those days with my mom.