I Ate The Dog Food

Monday, December 25, 2006

I Ate The Dog Food
Being raised during 'The Depression' and as a 'thrifty Mennonite', my Mom is not one to waste anything. She rebakes stale pretzels,cereal and crackers to remove the moisture and make them crisp again. She has been known to rinse off slimy things and try to pass it off as good. She keeps a container in the freezer and adds little bits of veggies,meat and broth leftovers that are to small to use for another meal. When it is full,we have vegetable soup!
When I was about 10 years old there was a huge snowstorm and we ran out of dog food so she fried up a mess of things that had aged past even her standard of edibility.Probably the crusts of bread from the bread box,no doubt some moldy ones ....rancid ends of meat,lard , old leftover potatoes.

I saw that on the stove ,thinking it was lunch ,I helped myself to some and then some more because I liked it.My mom came up from the basement and hollered "Hey!!!! Where's my dog food???", I asked "What dog food?" She pointed to the almost empty pan and replied "The dog food that was in this here pan!! " I was so confused because it had been so tasty...I asked her "How come you never make that for us?"...I was jealous of the dog??????
Now that I am 34 yrs older and know how my mom will salvage even the grossest of things ...my stomach churns a little just thinking about what in the world I ate and how my mom made garbage taste so good!

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FIRST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- 12/25/2006 11:48 PM
- Xcholo4u (message)
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She must have been one damn fine cook! That story is priceless Beth!
- 12/25/2006 11:49 PM
- Xcholo4u (message)
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MIGUEL!!!!
- 12/25/2006 11:49 PM
- CynaraJane (message)
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LOL, yes, she must be one heckuva cook!! That's too funny, Beth!
- 12/25/2006 11:49 PM
- CynaraJane (message)
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wht a great story! LMAO
- 12/25/2006 11:53 PM
- QueenPicky (message)
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Haha!

I remember that one year when we got like several feet of snow in E-ville!

And what's up with Miguel being like MIGUEL AND ALL LIKE FIRST!!!

Yah he is a silly dude!
- 12/26/2006 12:38 AM
- Anthawanth (message)
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I had a ton of food today and your making me hungry!

I AM GOING TO BE LIKE CYNARA JANE AND MIGUEL HECKUVA COOK!!!

The end! fun to say hechuvacook
- 12/26/2006 12:40 AM
- Anthawanth (message)
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RYC: although the song became popular a few years after the setting of my story, it fit in so well and I couldn't help but to use it and highlight the beauty and simplicity of it... check back for more stories. :)
- 12/26/2006 1:07 AM
- ProjectSheWrites (message)
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heeeheeeheeee...is it going to be for the homemade doggy food?

queenpickyATgmail.com please! And please include a pic! a profile pic is fine if you dont' want to share a real one!
- 12/26/2006 1:08 AM
- QueenPicky (message)
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that is the power of mom though...
- 12/26/2006 2:10 AM
- Leonidas (message)
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I think I need her recipe! LOL! My Dad once ate half a can of Alpo which my mom had put on a plate in the fridge. He thought it was meatloaf. I am always looking for ways to be more thrifty. Has your mom written any of this down? :- )
- 12/26/2006 3:08 AM
- DanishDoll (message)
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That's an interesting story indeed, but I'm perfectly happy with the fresh ingredients that you put into your food. (i.e. sauerkraut, relish, salsa, apple pie...)
- 12/26/2006 4:26 AM
- ThePresidentsCafe (message)
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My dad was also heavily influenced by the depression. Don't waste anything! Clean your plate! Think of the starving children in Africa!

If he found a good sale on, let's say, canned green beans, he would buy one maybe two CASES! But I must say he never rose to your mom's level of thriftiness.
- 12/26/2006 4:26 AM
- EyeHatePeas (message)
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Ohmigosh....This is too funny and so true of many people from the prior generation. I find myself falling into the same habits....LOL
- 12/26/2006 7:38 AM
- fratmom (message)
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we ate whatever we could find we didnt have a lot, and now that Im older and have some money I think that why I cook so much, its like I am making up for all those years of having crap, and a hungry belly.
- 12/26/2006 7:40 AM
- bythepowerofshoes (message)
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Loved that story. You were more trusting of your mother than I would have been. I always had to ask what was cooked and what was in it before I ate it. She was apt to use anything to make dinner. I remember many a night passing on dinner and just eating cereal or a sandwich...lol.
- 12/26/2006 8:27 AM
- constantbrat1 (message)
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Ah, necessity does breed the greatest innovations, doesn't it? Your mama's a wise woman, as is mine. Both quite the innovators, for different reasons. Yours having been a depression child; mine having been a country poor child. I'll bet your mama's got great child mem'ries and stories to share. The most innocent, purest and loving. Some times, I feel badly for so many of today's youth, wasting away their time on hand-held games instead of being outside making kick-ass mem'ries.
- 12/26/2006 8:28 AM
- AcidSam (message)
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What a smart lady! I think that's a wonderful thing for rich and poor alike. If only everyone in the world became so careful about waste..

P.S. I hate to think of what you ate, too!!!
- 12/26/2006 9:27 AM
- FUKhugs_iWANT_dRuGs (message)
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Moms are sneaky! Flash picks the ornaments! I suppose the kids have made some of them... You know how that its! I have pictures of the kids hands when they were in kindergarden on my bedroom wall!
- 12/26/2006 10:34 AM
- Donkey_Guy_10 (message)
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Good morning! Great story about your mom!
- 12/26/2006 10:41 AM
- Lobo_99 (message)
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I'll see ya on his site.
- 12/26/2006 10:52 AM
- SeXy__DeAd__ChIcK (message)
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LOL. That story made me laugh. People have so much now days and they are so wasteful. I don't know how most people in my generation would survive.

Thank you ofr setting me straight. I will inform hubby the he is wrong when I see him tonight.
- 12/26/2006 11:08 AM
- Erika_Steele (message)
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There are times when I ponder the phrase, If you don't eat this, I will feed it to the dogs. So... did I just eat doggy food?
- 12/26/2006 11:09 AM
- lindaintennessee (message)
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Did she give you the recipe?

We waste very little here...We were depression babies too.
- 12/26/2006 11:47 AM
- dingdongdingbat (message)
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Hi...

I am now starting to freeze leftovers, so I don't find remnents of them in the refrigerator.

ryc: Yes, we in the den are considered the best blogring on Xanga... no wonder everybody else wants to get in...

I hope you had a great Christmas!
- 12/26/2006 11:51 AM
- lorilily (message)
- reply