More Family News: What My Father Ate

Sardines, a tin at a time. Herring, canned, either in wine sauce or in tomato sauce. Whitefish. Lima beans, which came into the house dried but which were soaked to plump up, then boiled and mashed (but not for me, if I could possibly avoid them). Potatoes in any form, but usually mashed and buttered. No chicken or lamb chops, but lots of tongue. (When I left home, I vowed never to eat tongue again, and, trust me, I've kept the faith.) Chopped chicken liver mixed with hard-boiled eggs and onions. Steak, when we could afford it. Roast pork with applesauce. Delicatessen meats -- salami, baloney, corned beef, frankfurters. Baked beans, courtesy of Heinz. Apples, seeds and all, right down to the stem. Chocolate in any form, but especially white chocolate. Halvah, a particular favorite. Dates and figs, dried. Black radishes and onions, soaked in gribbinis. Tschav, borsht with huge helpings of sour cream. Corn on the cob. Slimy canned Harvard beets. No alcohol, nary a drop. On hot days, not beer, but instead iced tea or iced coffee. Cheese, either Velveeta or Swiss. Good bread -- pumpernickel or rye. Crumb cake direct from Ebinger's Bakery. Bacon and two eggs, sunnyside up or soft-boiled. Cream o' Wheat cereal. Swee-Touch-Nee tea. On Sunday morning, bagels and rolls, warm from the bakery, eaten while reading the the Times (25 cents) and the Eagle (10 cents). Ice cream, the more exotic the flavor the better.

Comments

[EVe]

The Times was expensive!