There are some people who are so very far away from the points I’ve been during my childhood. Being a thrown away kid is… you adapt to different things. You like odd things because that’s what you had. I folded some of that childhood into Miki’s experiences and I remember getting some reviews that were all… These kinds of things don’t happen.Sadly, they do. BUT it was kind of heartening to see and know not everyone knew how any of it felt. Those were experiences they could never truly know. Because they’d been raised safe and loved.
Not everyone has been. And I never ever want to minimize or glorify the struggles of anyone coming up through the system or with crappy parents because there’s no… winning… in having a shitty upbringing. If anything, it’s sometimes harder to normalize yourself into what everyone else does.
I feel uncomfortable around happy families. It was always usually the jumping off point for a lot of pain and blood when things suddenly shifted to sweet-sweet-sweet. That was a trap. A lure to bring you in.
I love canned peas and mayo. I also love sliced up hot dogs with shoyu and a bit of sugar on rice. There are things I do that I know come from just adapting to what is there and doing what I can.
So, please keep in mind that when you see that 30 year old guy eating Captain Crunch and mayo sandwiches, he might be having a childhood meal he really enjoyed.
And yes, raw ramen noodles soaked in hot water are awesome… but being able to cook them is even better.
Even families that look happy happy aren’t always. Mine wasn’t awful but never as good as looked from the outside. Poverty was our bugaboo & some questionable disciplinary techniques. Some things left weird scars – I simply cannot buy used clothing because handmedowns were all I had & I’ve never owned a belt. Pickle sammies & anything leftover on bread for breakfast were treats, spam & velveeta were staples because they were cheap not because they were tasty. BUT it taught me to be a creative spendthrift & I still love a good pickle sammie.
I love Spam so much 😀
I had to take care of my brother and sister because my mom was an alcoholic who would often be too drunk to cook. I would walk to the corner mom and pop store and buy whatever I could find to fix dinner. A lot of times, it was pork and beans and potatoes chips. I didn’t know better. I was 9.So if anyone tells you it doesn’t happen, they can “ef” off, because it is true. Sometimes I had no idea how we would eat because the grocery money went for vodka. I think I may have made mayo and peas at sometime, but it might have been green beans.👍
I also love canned cream corn. Just open the can. And canned beets and mayo. I also love bean sprouts and thousand island dressing. My mother tried. My father did not. And in many ways, worked to make things very difficult. But honestly, if people have no idea how it is, it IS kind of okay because while it’s hard to make them understand, they are in a space we can envy.
Mum used to make us “special ” meals when I was a kid. Things like boiled rice with milk and sugar, plain pasta with a beaten egg stirred through it and frankfurts (weiners) with mashed potato. It wasn’t until I was an adult myself that I realised we only had these meals when dad was working and it was a “lean” pay week for mum and dad. However I still enjoy those meals to this day and they give me a comfy feeling when I do.
I think that’s really what gives us the feeling of home sometimes. Meals that really only happened in YOUR family or stuff you guys ended up liking together. *hugs*
Canned peas I think I’ve heard of the canned mayo is new but not surprising. My parents were immigrants and always working for long hours, they really weren’t home for a lot of my childhood. This isn’t so strange since they still sell these in asian markets but when I was a kid we use to have canned sardines a lot. I really liked it but don’t eat it anymore though sometimes I still having a craving for it. My dad loves mayo sandwiches and still eats them.
canned sardines in tomato sauce on hot rice is awesome.