Some things always stay the same
I went on a honeymoon in 1990, to small island off the coast of another small island off the coast of another island. Two planes, one boat ride and many barf bags later, we landed and settled into our home away from home for a week. The island was a couple of miles long and maybe less than a mile wide. It was sparsely populated and we traveled on foot except for the one day we rented a golf cart. On one of our treks we discovered a little tiny general store, complete with all the comforts of home like Bonine (which I used for the trip home and have been using ever since) and a strange assortment of foods from the USA.
Newly married we decided we could each have our favorite snack in our little bay view hotel room, because being married at 26 made us full-fledged adults. My ex chose a container of Pillsbury chocolate frosting. Yep. On an island in the Carribean he spent the week scooping and eating it with his finger as we watched the sun rise and set. I, on the other hand, chose a box of chocolate fudge Pop Tarts.
Years passed. Babies, schools, jobs, cities, states, divorce, death, blogs. My favorite meal is sushi. I love Thai food. Give me belini and caviar on a cruise ship balcony. Fine wine. Dom Perignon. Dark chocolate. All the places I’ve gone and lived and all the people I’ve met and the things I’ve done…two things have remained consistent. I’ve always been a writer and I’ve always loved Pop Tarts.
Offer me a Pop Tart and I’ll give you a kidney. Unless of course I’d have trouble digesting a Pop Tart without a kidney. So, today, for some strange reason, a Pop Tart found its way to me. When offered I can not say no. It’s not something I’m capable of, in the same way I’m not capable of not writing.
It surprises me sometimes, how the littlest strangest thing can remain consistent through a lifetime of change and inconsistency.
Not the writing mind you, but the Pop Tarts.
What has stuck with you through the years?
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- Feb 12, 2009: Topics about Food and Recipes » Archive » Some things always stay the same
Too funny. I buy chocolate frosted pop tarts for my kids and plain strawberry for me every time I go shopping! So many things have stuck with me. First and foremost, music. Then chocolate. No, wait, first chocolate then music. Also, the ocean. Love it. Need it. Get cranky when I’m away from it for too long. Words. Songwriting, novel writing, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, poetry, blogging, anything to do with words. FAMILY! Thanks for the question…
Lots of what Debbie Schubert said. Traditions, family, friends, the good stuff of life. Sunflower seeds are a good counter balance to cherry poptarts toasted and slathered with butter.
Angie, I know you’re not suggesting someone put butter on Pop Tarts. Or maybe that’s some Southern anomaly?
Debbie, Everything in my life has changed — even friends and family. Maybe that’s why something like a Pop Tart is so strange (and wonderful) to me.
Amy
I ate my Pop Tarts slathered with butter when I was a kid too! Maybe it is a southern thing. After all, what isn’t better with butter?
I still love a good Sweet Tart. But I have heard my kids lamenting that they don’t want to grow up and quit liking all the fun foods.
Ooh, those giant Sweet Tarts always bring me back. Great post, Amy.
The one thing that has really stuck with me for as long as I can remember, hot chocolate. I can drink it any time of the year. Something about it is soothing to me. I like it, it likes me and we’ll be together for a long time to come. Probably my most successful relationship todate. ;o)
Debbie,
I’m having trouble getting over the image of a Pop Tart with butter…I guess it’s good I grew up out East and live Midwest! Assure your kids — we are proof no one has to give up great kid food – evah!
Melanie,
I prefer Smarties to Sweet Tarts!
Melissa,
I can understand your relationship with hot chocolate – it makes perfect sense to me. Now, is that reassuring or unsettling?
Amy
Mint chocolate chip ice cream has always been my favorite ice cream. And then there’s cheese – all kinds. I love it and my thighs dont. *sigh*
MindyMom,
My taste in ice cream has changed through the years, although my love for jimmies/sprinkles has never waned. That I owe to my grandmother who re-jimmied my ice cream each time they were gone. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?
It feels important to me to have Pepperidge Farms turnovers in my freezer. When I was young, I would sometimes spend the night with my grandparents, sometimes a whole week during spring break or summer. Just because I loved it. They lived a block away from us. My grandpa would start the day by making coffee, and bringing a cup of it to grandma in bed, then he would put a turnover in the oven for me. The whole house would smell like it’s apple-y goodness (sometimes blueberries, sometime raspberries).
I almost never eat one. I think the ones that are in there are at least 5 years old. But I love having them there. They rock.
Now I’ve gone back and read some comments. Butter on pop tarts? Strange. But OK, I drink soda for breakfast, which gives most people the vapors.
I love sweet tarts, but not the blue or purple ones. Those are probably the most popular, because there are a lot of them. Yuck. I love the yellow, green, and orange ones.
My pop-tart would be potato chips. I have come to indulge less, since for a while I was eating them too much and they lost their ability to nudge me from reaching emptiness.