sambear just made breakfast that is even better than those I remember from my childhood, biscuits and all. That’s significant.
Breakfast was the only really “comfortable” meal in my parents’ home. There were usually biscuits and gravy and eggs and grits and bacon and sausage and orange juice and lots of coffee. Sometimes Daddy made hash browns if he had a hankering for them. We actually talked to each other over breakfast, despite the fact that we were always on a schedule to get somewhere (school, church, work—yes, Saturdays too). Those were the most relaxed interactions I recall with my family of origin, ever.
Lunches were eaten alone at home as there was the time around chores, or at school/work in the absolute minimum time necessary to take in fuel, and almost always consisted of a sandwich of some sort. I’m still not big on sandwiches.
We didn’t do snacks mostly. Well, my brother snacked a lot, but he was a jock and that was expected. Females don’t eat snacks, because they don’t need them and they might get fat. Snacks were big while watching sports, but since I hated that I didn’t eat them then, either.
Dinner was eaten in silence. We always ate together at the table, but Daddy had the TV on in the next room so he could hear the news. Any noise that might make him miss so much as one word was absolutely verboten and would be punished—sometimes with harsh words, sometimes physically. I tried really hard to not make any noise at all, period. It was always uncomfortable and anxious and I hated it. I would have skipped dinner every day if I could have, but it wasn’t allowed.
So my main comfort foods—cheese grits, scrambled eggs, and biscuits—are all associated with breakfast. Not so surprising, I guess, but I didn’t really think about this stuff much until today.
I don’t like to eat in front of people—especially my family of origin. I don’t even want to eat breakfast with them anymore, so sambear‘s culinary achievements mean even more to me now. They always have to comment negatively on whatever I consume or don’t consume. Always. They were every bit as critical when I was underweight as they are now, so it isn’t just because I’m fat. In fact, now my brother keeps insisting that our kids WILL be fat because sambear and I are big people. (Anyone who has seen our kids will laugh about that one.)
I like the way our home works far better than the way my parents’ home worked. I love you, sambear and shadowkatt and R and G.
