It seems like a good night to talk about food. It happens when I see old photos which remind me certain food events in my life. Like Potato Chips. They were the biggest of biggest treats when we were kids. Mom & Dad used to buy Charles Chips only. They were delivered around to our neighborhood in the niftiest Potato Chip truck.
The “delicacies” came in large cans. Really tall tins. We had one tin of chips per delivery period, and one tin of pretzels. I think this might have been every two weeks. For a boatload of kids, I don’t imagine this equated to many chips.
My favorites were the BBQ Chips, and the Cheese Pretzels. Oh, those cheese pretzels were to die for. The weren’t like Combos. No, they were Dutch Pretzels, with the cheese baked right into the pretzel dough. Like magic. Like MAGIC, I tell you!
Another big treat was going to a Pretzel Bakery on Xenia Avenue. Smales Pretzel Bakery. They made one thing. Their wonderous Soft Pretzels. Oh, these were the best things ever. They were small, and light in color. But the taste was incredible. And if they had leftovers, they baked them slowly and made them hard. These were equally delicious.
They just jammed the soft pretzels in brown paper bags. Old school. And the hard pretzels were in clear plastic unmarked bags. No frills. But boy oh boy. They are one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
These days, chips and pretzels come in bags of plastic and foils. They are glaring with color and big claims. Marketing. Let me convince you on the outside that I’m marvelous. And when you get to the inside, you may actually believe it.
People don’t seem to mind about the busy-billboard-bags. But I have heard complaints that the bags are filled with lots of air. Well…. there’s more to just a rip-off there. All the air in potato chip bags we complain about is actually nitrogen. They use nitrogen because it is inert in nature… and it helps preserve the crispiness of the chip. And a bonus…. it also provides cushion during shipping.
Nonetheless. Chips. And Pretzels. In this case, they stir up all sorts of fond memories. They were obviously a great source of pleasure. And clearly, they made a lasting impact on me.
Which brings me to this. Our lives are filled with moments. Filled with memories. And lots of them. In fact, there are 525,600 minutes in one year. We will have experiences of varied sorts. Good, bad, great and small. Life can be beautiful, but it can also be tricky.
With all that life brings us, sometimes it is good to find our place with the simple things, the things which somehow, bring us joy. Or peace. Or good.
And when we find those times, we should savor them, and be glad for them. It is truly a wonderful aspect of life.
Even if it comes in the form of a potato chip.
==============
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
==============
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
============