Catch Jim’s 3-minute podcast: https://youtu.be/jmDqEj9vy14
or read his thoughts below:
THE FEAST OF REMEMBRANCE ABOUT TO BEGIN
A plastic-gloved cook behind the deli counter teeters beneath the weight of a large shallow metal pan, deposits it into a form-fitting slot, peels away the Saran cover.
Through the glass that separates her from expectant customers, she can be seen wiping clean spillage surrounding the steaming marshmallow-speckled sweet potatoes. She reaches behind to retrieve a large serving spoon, places it nearby.
Let the feast almost begin!
The familiar fragrance beckons my taste buds, excites fond memories that extend backwards through decades piled upon decades.
Yams are mandatory at festive celebrations. Christmas. Thanksgiving. Family get-togethers. Reunions. Post-funeral gatherings. Birthdays. Fourth of July picnics.
In my times long adrift, I remember little things. Things that increase in size with each passing moment.
Sparklers in the hands of merrily lawn-dancing kids. Dumplings. Backyard barbeque. Spongy biscuits made from scratch. Laughing uncles and aunts and cousins and buddies and playmates and family. Fresh-picked-and-hot-buttered corn on the cob. Homemade ice cream with sliced peaches afloat. Tomatoes grown just a few feet away. Kosher pickles and crunchy carrot sticks.
Now the cook behind the deli counter, netted hair, white apron and all, is bringing forth another heated pan, this one brimming with crunchy fried chicken. Serving doesn’t begin for another ten minutes, so waiting becomes almost as intense as all those memories.
Deviled eggs. Babbling babies. Goofy kids filling cups with sweetened iced tea. Salt and pepper shakers awaiting vigorous shakes. Meat loaf soft and warm and beckoning. Paper straws and pacifiers and mushy peas in Gerber’s jars. Gravy. Red sauce. Catsup. Mustard. Hot peppers. Solemn blessings delivered by solemn patriarchs prior to digging in.
One large pan of crusty corn bread completes the deli spread. And now we diners are about to queue up and prepare ourselves for overstuffing and remembering.
Remembering. Remember how nice remembering can be?
Fleeting remembrance being the most soul-enriching thing that can possibly happen during the next few minutes at this cafeteria
© 2019 A.D. by Jim Reed