I was raised in a single-income family with 7 kids. My father has a discerning palette and my mother spent some creative energy feeding her large family. Some of Mom's tactics included mixing Fla*vor*aid with 1/4 cup of sugar instead of a cup, making twice the casserole with half the meat, buying the extra-pulp orange juice and stretching it out to 2 quarts rather than the prescribed 3 cans of water, buying a gallon of store-brand syrup and pouring it into used syrup bottles, and using very small cups for juice or punch, with unlimited water after the 1/2-gallon pitcher alotted to the meal was consumed.
Regarding the discerning palette of her husband, my mom tried really hard to serve greatly to the bread winner. She did this by serving that thin fla*vor*aid to children and the orange juice to adults, and by purchasing Log Cabin syrup for my dad while the rest of us ate the cheap stuff. 12 oz of Log Cabin costs more than a gallon of store brand. Mom did this with a lot of things; but the Syrup is the prime symbol to me.
This was life and we didn't complain; but in subsequent years some indignation has been expressed at the food chain with which we were raised. I determined that in the democratic household of Mrs. Clinton Reeder, no such grocery caste would exist. What's good for one is good for all.
For the last 4 or 5 months I've been buying inexpensive syrup from Aldi. Last week we had Clinton's parents and sister as well as my father and his wife in town. We ran out of syrup and I grabbed a bottle of Log Cabin luxury syrup from the much closer Shoppers. Since then I've restocked the syrup supply from Aldi.
Here comes the inner conflict: I went to the cupboard this morning and found my precious bottle of $3.59 Log Cabin nearly depleted. The $1.29 Aldi syrup that I openned was passed right over when Clinton made waffles for Lizzy. "Ah," my reflex says, "A toddler doesn't know the difference. Should've fed her the Aldi."
And I find myself breaking my own law of democratic grocery distribution.
Ah well. We both ate the same syrup on our pancakes this morning, after I gave myself a mental citation for almost breaking the law of the household.
1 year ago
4 comments:
I can absolutely identify with this! There are so many self-imposed rules of what I can and cannot do that I was exposed to as a child. What a sticky situation--ha ha!
Way to bite your tongue. That's great!
I smiled to myself as I read this because I would happily give you Log Cabin syrup! I grew up with homemade syrup made from mapleline flavoring and it is still my preference. I find pretty much all store bought syrup yucky and since my boys are anti-waffles-pancakes-french-toast, they don't give ANY syrup a chance!
Truthfully, I am guilty of "grocery casting" when I am watching other folks' kids. I don't have strong enough of an option to make a rule against it and therefore anticipate that it will seep in to my life at some point. Until then I am still purchasing Log Cabin Syrup and whenever I can justify it Honey Nut Cheerios instead of Toasty-O's in order to fill a void that I was denied in my childhood.
It's hard to be frugal and stretch and eat well. At our house real butter goes on biscuits, pancakes, and macaroni and cheese. Margarine is used for baking. I AM guilty of stretching meat suitable for one meal into two. Don't tell!
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