I don't know if I've told this story here before, but it's a memory which still manages to crack me up, so maybe it will have the same effect on you. A long time ago when I still living at home, my mom bought a jar of peanut butter with the words "BAD—DO NOT EAT" written on it in black permanent marker. My brother and I asked her why in the world she would buy something like that: food with dangerous warnings written on it? A closer inspection showed its seal had been broken under the lid. She said she didn't know, and put it in the cabinet.
"Well, you're not going to eat it, are you?!"
"I'm not going to throw it away." You have to understand Mom's positiong: she grew up in the latter stages of The Great Depression and never, ever threw an ounce of food away. Why, one time my brother took a bite of an apple, threw it in the trash, and Mom dug it out of the trash then handed it to him. "Eat it." I know that example can only slightly explain her strange need to adopt an unwanted container of peanut butter. Or whatever reasoning she came up with to actually some of it.
Two days later Mom said she didn't feel very well; she's dizzy. It might be the peanut butter.
"You'll throw it away then, right?"
"Maybe."
Another day passes, and the dizziness has gotten worse. "Yes, it must be that peanut butter." My brother reached into the cabinet and threw the peanut butter into the trash.
Mom looked at it with forlorn longing. We watched her ruminating between food waste and death.
She chose waste. Good old waste.
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Took my daughter to an ortho today. Perhaps you know the pain . . . money, money, money falling out of you like water. She has a lovely smil...
I think my generation was brought up with a healthy fear of waste .. but bad peanut butter?? Nope...not goin' there.
ReplyDeleteWhat about bad jelly? The kind with rancid butter and bread crumbs floating around in it?
DeleteWell, you could just scrape off that top layer and start fresh yes?
DeleteMy mom was like that. If there were three peas left after a meal, it would be put into a container to be used for something else. When you think of the enormous amount of waste we now have, maybe they weren't so wrong.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder.
DeleteI think it was the war years that made people save everything. Glad your mum decided to pitch that peanut butter Amy - wise choice.
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't laugh about it, but it's soooo Mom.
DeleteThere is a mould that grows on peanuts which will kill you, but it is quite rare to grow.
ReplyDeleteWaste not, want not, but eat not, die not seems the way to go in times of plenty. Sugar never rots.
Oh, but Tom, is tastes so good.
ReplyDeleteDear Amy,
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten that you were doing the A to Z blogfest also. I will be your faithful reader, but oh, I do not understand why people want that pressure. However, I am not a writer, but just an occasional blogger who has nothing much to say. Good luck, I know your posts will be interesting and fun to read.
Thanks. I may slag off a few days here and there. Hopefully not, I'll give a good effort to get 'er done.
DeleteI hate waste as much as anyone, but why was the shop selling something that it was obviously warning about? A bit like writing SMOKING KILLS on the front of a cigarette pack (as in the UK)...but people still buy them, and smoke them.
ReplyDeleteI'll never know. SHe doesn't like to talk about it!
Delete