Cooking Skills and Grocery Prices
As most of you already know, I love to cook. My culinary journey began a long time ago as a young man watching my mom prepare breakfast each morning. I was determined to learn how to fry an egg. To me, that was the ultimate in cooking skills.
Yes, to be able to flip an egg and not break the yolk…that was my dream. After many tries, I finally accomplished the perfect fried egg. Other great feats would follow.
Flipping pancakes, cooking sausage, grilling burgers, boiling hot dogs, making awesome mac-and-cheese, and finally…the gourmet ramen noodles!
Man do I remember how much I just loved ramen noodles! In fact, when I was a kid; I was sure that all a kid needed to survive was mac-and-cheese, hot dogs, and chicken flavored ramen noodles.
(Right about here is where my mom is freaking out and getting hysterical because she thinks that you’re going to think that all she ever fed my brother and I was hot dogs, mac-and cheese, and ramen noodles. We all know that’s not true…there was ravioli too!) Man, I just loved me some ravioli! (Would someone please go over to Spring Street and check on my mom!)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as far as I was concerned, those were the four food groups; at least those were the only ones I cared to make for myself when I was hungry.
It’s funny…I always thought that stuff was pricey when I was a kid. I mean c’mon…anything that tasted this good had to cost a fortune right?
One day, at the beginning of summer a few years ago, I was sent to the grocery store with all of the children to buy items for the impending lunches. We were all happy to be making this pilgrimage together as one big noisy group.
I had heard, from Cheryl, how difficult this task could be; and of course, I was determined to prove that I could handle the herd with more ease than could she.
It was up to me to decide on what the children would consume during the long summer days, and I knew exactly what I was going for. Yep…my favorite four! However…as most things do during adult hood, my perception of these foods was about to change!
First it was the hot dogs; I was a little taken back to realize that a pack containing eight of these wonderful items could be purchased for the low price of only $1.45. Something seemed wrong. Although they were the pre-determined by the wife chicken dogs, I expected to pay more. Hot dogs, all of a sudden, seemed like cheap food, (except at the Braves game!)
Next came a shocker that still bothers me today; mac- and cheese was .50 cents a box. WHAT! Fifty cents?
Hey, Mr. manager guy…someone here has screwed up on the prices of the mac-and cheese and you need to fire them right now man! I was appalled at the moment. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I found the ramen noodles.
I will never forget my response; it went a little like this…“OH MY GOD!” “Anything that costs 10 cents per pack can’t be good for you!” Right here is where the children tried to hide from the people who were starring at us.
Ten cents, they cost ten cents per pack? What is wrong with the world…don’t they realize how wonderfully delicious those noodles are? I mean c’mon, they’re from China; they must be good for you right!
I swear, the only saving grace for me on that trip was the fact that the name brand of ravioli was like ten bucks and that made me feel better about what I was feeding my kids for lunch.
I think it took me like four years to get over that experience. Once I realized that I somehow survived on this diet as a kid, and turned out o.k., I was able to dish it out to my precious little ones.
Can I tell you…they just love the stuff. Now, keep in mind please that they eat other food as well. I have to tell you though, the other day, when I watched one of my girls whipping up the ramen noodles for her sisters while she prepared the hot dogs; I just knew she was going to become a great cook. She takes after her old man!
Jason, father of six