Archive for October, 2007
Preserving a Moment of Clarity
The moment was subtle. As I put finishing touches on a skipped-lunch-and-desperate-for-snack PB&J, it sort of hit me — I was basically polishing off one of the last tangible (non work-related) vestiges I had of my time in Columbia.
Like some sort of dummy (personal mantra?), in the weeks before a final move from the Midwest I poorly planned food needs and ended up making a superfluous grocery run … instead of pacing myself.
You know the kind: for once, all these odd vegetables and fruit look appealing; on a whim you buy a pound and-a-half of the most expensive sliced meat the deli has to offer; you could eat seven orange roughy filets in four days, right!?
Like it or not, I screwed up and put myself in a position where I had to eat odd meal combinations to avoid wasting recently purchased food: toasted pumpernickel, cashew butter and fresh okra; melted gouda over nectarines; the ill-fated, gas-producing ranch-dressing marinated chicken breast over broccolini and cottage cheese casserole (apparently, not all cheeses play nice with the oven).
Yes, yes, some decisions were mistakes, but not all.
Packed in a tiny, red ice chest courtesy my thoughtful in-laws, an Austin- (and later Dallas-) bound U-Haul drove a small conscription of non-perishables that would be with me through some tough, long transitional times.
- the ketchup lasted me about four weeks …
- the peanut butter about six …
- croutons were gone in about two days, but hey, there weren’t many, and I like croutons …
- mustards (one yellow, one spicy), were (both) gone in about three days; I like mustard …
- i partook of the white rice for 1.5 weeks …
- the brown rice was around till I got hold of a rice cooker (left this world three days after that) …
- dill relish never lasted the full diaspora … we all wept by warm candlelight … such an inspiring soul …
- good, ol’ ranch dressing the hold out; wasn’t sure how long it would last, so I just let it sit there … my own, personal science project (threw it away at eight weeks) …
Last, and certainly not least, one 12-ounce container of HyVee brand strawberry preserves …
That little guy — the absolute last of my Mid-Missouri wares — went into the trash today, October 26, 2007 … about four months after I arrived in Dallas (was in Austin for about two weeks prior). Best part? I think I bought this guy like a month or so *before* I left Columbia. Hey … they’re called “preserves” right … surely they were OK.
So there’s my pointless, memory lane rant for the day. How do I feel? Home sick. Was Columbia home? Not really, but there were elements therein — places, comfort, friends — casual and close alike — I find myself missing a lot lately. Not too dissimilar to how I felt when I left the proximity to family and friends when we moved to Missouri a few year back.
Dallas is home for my left brain and certainly my right … but I swear, there’s a middle part that’s lost in a vast sea … of sweet, succulent strawberry preserves.
Cheers,
- gerry -
