52 Weeks - Sweets!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History:
Week 13: Sweets. What was your favorite childhood candy or dessert? Have your tastes changed since then? What satisfies your sweet tooth today?

I was a die hard SweeTarts fan. Unfortunately, "was" is how I remember that wonderful romance. The love was complete. I could eat roll after roll, or a whole bag of the egg ones at Easter. Sadly, I encountered a slight upper hernia several years back that meant no spicy foods, etc. This of course included SweeTarts. So after everything healed nicely, I tried to eat them again. Bought a couple of movie sized boxes, poured them into a jar to munch on at will - only, "at will" consisted of about a week. I totally stripped the lining of my stomach. Heartburn from hell!! For a few weeks, the heartburn was horrible.....kinda like one huge ulcer.....food felt ok, but once the stomach acids hit that wounded lining.....ouch!! I have decided that they are too big a weakness for me. If I see a little packet like we used to get in our trick-or-treat bags, I can have one, but keep the box or big sizes away - they are still my destructive weakness! So, as an adult, what have I moved on to console my hunger for that lost love? Dark chocolate baby.....not quite the same, but in a way, MUCH more satisfying!

For more info about this weekly genealogy challenge, click on the icon below to visit the Geneabloggers page:

Too Much Turkey!

It is only right and proper that we should stop the onslaught of Christmas for just a moment to remember our blessings and give thanks before we head out, en masse, with credit cards in hand to storm the malls for decking the halls. So, as we are flooded with Pilgrim and Native American imagery, enough turkey and tofu recipes to gag on, this is the best time to reminisce about the good ole days. In other words: the food!

Thanksgivings with the Grandparents were crowded and tension filled, but the food helped us all get along in those cramped quarters. As a kid, I didn't notice the family tensions or politics, just the FUN. We kids played together well, and packed enough toys to supply an underprivileged country. However, as the years progressed, one thing stayed constant: that fantastic cooking!

The feasts on either side of my family were tremendously indulgent. As I look back, what seemed to me a feast meant for a small village was actually a familial act of appeasement. I was so impressed by what my Grandmothers made. Every wonderful side dish imaginable was there, plus that ginormous turkey, followed by several different desserts! But why did they go to soooo much trouble? As my Mom has taken over the main Thanksgiving meal over the years, we have a great turkey, plus a few side dishes, bread and then pumpkin pie for dessert. Nothing as complex as the "olden days". So what gives?

I finally realized that my Grandmothers were practicing that age old talent of keeping everyone happy. If we took a tally, each person would probably have a favorite something - and the Grandmothers cleverly remembered what those were. Which meant slaving over the stove for hours, making sure everyone got their favorite dish for Thanksgiving. This practice of appeasement.....or, aka, selfless love.....was the reason we had such a wondrous feast every year. And which is why the above picture of Grandpa was taken by my Dad back in the late 60s after the feast....obviously Grandpa had many favorites....and whoa to those of us who indulge in all of our favorites on the table, or you too will be grabbing for the first sight of that clever product placement as seen in the photo!

To wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, a safe and profitable Black Friday, and a creative leftover turkey weekend, I will offer the following tidbits:

Primary Sources from the First Thanksgiving

**Note, the number of adult married women present at the first Thanksgiving was 4! That's right! 4! And according to the accounts of who attended, there were 5 adolescent girls, 9 adolescent boys (good grief), 13 young children, 22 adult men....and drum roll please.....at least 91 Native American male guests! So, maybe our Mothers and Grandmothers have really just been carrying on the tradition of female exhaustion for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Quotes from the Quote Garden

Oh, and try to spend as much time as possible WITH the family, and not glued to the TV like this group of naughty pilgrims:

From the Gizmodo Thanksgiving Photoshop Contest

Remember....eat lots of Turkey...but not too much!

CD

11/23/10

Ah! on Thanksgiving day....
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
~John Greenleaf Whittier