04 October 2010

Junk Food Cereal

We occasionally eat junk food cereal. This is new for me, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. There’s part of me that loves it. I feel like I’m breaking the rules or something. As if I shouldn’t be eating Cookie Crisp at 6am before work. Sometimes, I do that.

It’s Aarons fault. We go into the cereal aisle at Sam’s Club, I grab Special K, and he can’t decided between the cereal with the most sugar in it, or the cereal with the second to most sugar in it. I don’t understand this. He use to remind me often (only when he actually watched me cook…with lots of butter), that he grew up in a very healthy-food conscious family with lots of whole grains and such. I’m not sure if that was supposed to deter me from deep frying pork products or not, but I keep on making whatever I like making. Anyway, so coming from someone whose eyes grow in disbelief that I’m adding yet ANOTHER handful of cheese, I am shocked he was allowed to eat what I call “Junk Food Cereal”.

I come from a family who could very easily eat bread, cheese, and pasta every single day. We dip everything in olive oil, and smear everything with cheese or butter. We ate cakes and cookies and lasagna and burgers and anything that we thought tasted good. And bread. Lots and lots of bread. But you know what I couldn’t have? We were not allowed to eat “junk food cereal”. It was never in our house. The most sugary thing I remember is Raisin Bran. Maybe somehow my mom knew that since my sister and I were able to maintain a reasonable figure on our no-diet eating habits, maybe junk food cereal would push us over the edge and we’d just explode or something. Either way, whatever my mom’s reasoning for things, I think it worked out pretty well for the two of us.

I don’t remember eating junk food cereal over friend’s houses, but I remember the first time it ever appeared at my house. My cousin Shannon came to live with us after Hurricane Andrew fucked over in her hometown of Miami. I was 9 or so, she must have been 13. These were very vulnerable ages for a girl and her cereal. I was young, so I don’t remember a lot from her stay with us. But there is one thing that was clear. Shannon got to pick out what ever cereal she wanted.

And you know what she picked?

I do. Because I was there.

She picked Cookie Crisp.

Cookie Crisp!?!?!? WhaAAAAt?!?!

This was crazy! This was insane! This was ludicrous! (Although I somehow doubt I used the word ludicrous at 9 years old)

You know what else I thought?

This is freaking awesome!!!

So for whatever period of time it was that Shannon lived with us, I got to eat junk food cereal. And when she was gone, so was the junk food cereal.

Then one day, long after my sister and I grew up and moved out, we go back home to visit. That day, out of the blue, my mom decides she’s going to make us French toast for breakfast. Sounds normal, right? Well…this ain’t any old French toast…this was freakin’ Captain Crunch Crusted French Toast.

WhAAAT????

That’s right, my mom, after all these years (25+ that I’m aware of) of buying ‘adult cereal’ intentionally goes to the store, purchases a huge ass box of Captain Crunch, smashes it up, coats French toast with it, and tops that with a generous pour of real maple syrup. Rachael and I stood in disbelief that this is actually happening. And we ate it. We all ate every single piece. It was fabulous.

Let’s just say it was an exciting morning.

So back to the Cookie Crisp, the cereal that started me on this whole rambling mess. At 26, nearly 27 years old, what do I think about it? Well, I know for sure I haven’t had it in at least 17 years, and there is part of me that wishes I kept it that way. My first bowl a couple of weeks ago left me a little sad. It was like cardboard cookies soaked in milk. The practical part of me sort of knew that might happen, but I still wanted it to taste like it did way back then.

That’s not to say I haven’t been eating it every morning since :)

11 comments :

  1. First off, our mom rocked. The only reason Shannon thought to pick Cookie Crisp was because our mom would pick it for us. Also, I have tried for 12 years to get Wife to let me purchase just one box for our breakfasting needs. But, son #1 hates chocolate milk - which is the delectable finish to a hearty bowl of cookie crisp. Son #2 = no milk. And daughter hasn't the teeth for cookie crisps pre-milk soaked rock-hardy goodness.

    On another note, I do like to rock the Fruity Pebbles every once in a while.

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  2. I would also like to point out that the ONLY place our kids get "junk food cereal" is at your moms. "We want Fruit Loops" they say. "Oh, you know that is only for Aunt Mary's." -Cyndi

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  3. In my defense...although I was obviously the most awesome to enable my clearly deprived cousins the opportunity to experience Cookie Crisp as children...I no longer eat any junk food cereal.

    Bread, cheese, olive oil, cheese, tater tots, more cheese, pork...now THAT'S a different story.

    To Cousin in NY (aka Big Bro!) - what is wrong with son #1...he couldn't possibly be related to us if he does not like chocolate milk.

    Lastly, family chatter in Kacey's blog comments is awesome! :-)

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  4. You know what...your children deserve junk food cereal!!! How else do you think they manage to play on the quads for 30 hours a day and Wii 400 hours a day at my parents house? Plus, they are so good that they should be spoiled at Aunt Mary's.

    Child #1 Obviously has not had yoohoo out of a box. Do they even sell that anymore?
    Child #2 What does he eat?
    Child #3 I bet she'll be the one that eats like the rest of us - eating everything in site. She better be, cause I'll need an apprentice in like 2 years...or however long it'll take for her to properly use a meat cleaver.

    I approve of this family chatter on the blog and think it should happen more often.

    I'll just have to write more stories about you guys.

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  5. I love an honest post. We all try to eat well and be healthy and be conscious of the environment, but the truth is we all (or almost all?) indulge in junk food once in while, more than we maybe like to admit on our blogs. You go girl!

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  6. Child #1 - I blame Wife's side. ;)
    Child #2 - Rice milk, seriously Kacey, DO NOT cook with rice milk.
    Child #3 - She is the darling now isn't she.

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  7. Rice milk??? Hell no...bring me the real stuff!!!

    P.S. Food DOES rule...but that's why we are all here, isn't it?

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  8. I love all the chatter you COOKED up this time Kacey. Nothing gets the family going more than some good food conversation. Geat job!

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  9. I'm not a huge junk cereal eater... except Cinn. Toast Crunch. I love that stuff.

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  10. Hmm...that's probably the one junk food cereal that we've tried out that I actually like. It's not too 'fake' tasting. And I often eat it as a snack after dinner!

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