Day 166: For this Foodsday of Week of Dad, I must share food memories. I didn’t know my dad could cook until my mom got sick. Then I found out he was surprisingly adept in the kitchen. He said his potato peeling skills were learned in KP duty in WWII. After years of running a dairy, he’d become averse to milk, but he loved a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream with peanuts on top. Salty party peanuts. His idea of entertaining was to offer guests a root beer float. He ALWAYS had vanilla ice cream and root beer on hand. He loved black licorice, chocolate licorice, and Salted Nut Rolls.
Our kitchen had what we called a “bread board” which was really just a cutting board that pulled out of the cabinetry like a drawer. After Mom passed away, Dad routinely sat there to eat, rather than sit at the table alone. He ate weird stuff like torn up bread with milk on top. And sardines from a can. He was very proud of the new-fangled sauce he found at the store. Presto, he called it. When I saw the jar of Pesto in the fridge, I never corrected him.
As a grandfather, he always had treats stashed in the pantry for the grandkids. He always had a giant bag of Fruit Loops when we came to visit, that I knew were purchased especially for the occasion, because he didn’t like them. He loved making the grandkids feel special. A few weeks ago, my son sent me this You-tube video of a song my dad would play for them at every visit. I was so happy he could remember it. Dad thought it was HILARIOUS. He laughed every single time the lyrics said “He’ll sneak up behind you and drink all of your root beer.” Oh, Dad. I miss you! Root beer floats, all around!
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