When I eat this, I think of that...

A list of 10 food memories. It's a Monday Listicles Post! 

1. When I eat cabbage, I think of a time when I hated it. I wouldn't be surprised if mom told me that was mashed cauliflower we were having the with cabbage. We were new vegetarians and everything my mom made was an experiment. Today I am receiving payback for this look.
2. When I eat vanilla ice cream with Maraschino cherries. I think of my grandfather, Pop Pop. I spent summers with my grandparents when I was little. Some nights he would come up to my room (after Grammy put me to bed). He would have a little Dixie cup with vanilla ice cream and a cherry. He'd rush me to eat it so we wouldn't get caught.
3. When I eat a hot pretzel with mustard, I think of Mommy & Me time. After my brother was born, my mom and I would run errands on Saturdays and leave my brother at home with daddy. We would stop at a place called Mister Popper's, split a Coke and a pretzel with mustard.
4. When I eat Black-Eyed Peas, I think of one of the worse days of my life. In 2001, I prepared the traditional American New Years Day meal. Later in the evening I started cramping. I thought I had gas from the beans. I took beans and rice to work on January 2nd. The cramps were worse after lunch. It wasn't the beans. I was having a miscarriage.
5. When I eat Salmon, I think of the first time I cooked dinner for my husband. It was a disaster. 
6. When I eat Velvetta cheese, I think of government cheese. 
7. When I eat Cream of Wheat, I think about how my mom made a smiley face in mine with raisins. 
8. When I eat Apple Pie, I think of my great grandmother. When she made Apple Pie, she'd let me make a mini one using one of those pot pie tins.  I got to roll out the scraps of dough for my pie.
9. When I eat fried potatoes, I think of my dad's fried potatoes. No one else's potatoes measure up. I tried to make the potatoes when he was visiting. He cut my potatoes into smaller pieces and poured out half the oil I was intending to use.
10. When I eat Pistachio Almond Ice-Cream, I think of saying "Ewww" to the name/appearance and my grandmother saying, "Just taste it."

Here's the thing...

There are some foods that hold memories from which you cannot escape. I don't like Black-Eyed Peas and my husband doesn't like Salmon.

If I make Cream of Wheat, I make a smiley face with raisins. I always put mustard on a pretzel.

I kinda like cabbage and I love Pistachio Almond ice cream. 

What is your fondest or "tragic" when I eat this, I think of that memory?

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