Life's Simple Pleasure

What does "life's simple pleasure" mean to you? For me it can mean many things. Since this is categorically a food blog, it can mean something that I have cooked, baked, had in a restaurant, or a memory of something I ate in my childhood. It could be uncomplicated and simple which in today's "foodie" world might be considered old fashion, bourjois, and definitely not gourmet.

Life's simple pleasure can also be just a wonderful memory of a time long ago. I often remember the times I spent playing simple games with my sister; or the family vacations we spent in the 'country'.

Or the times we went to the supermarket with our mom and she let us put the green stamps in the booklet. Remember the green stamps from the supermarket that mom or grandma saved to buy 'stuff'? I'm sure the items were very useful and were probably items they normally would not buy. Since they were 'kinda' free, it was a big 'score'.

Do you find yourself thinking about the 'good ol' days' and trying to explain to the youngsters how we lived way back when there were no cell phones and computers. It's sad that they'll never have the opportunity to enjoy "life's simple pleasures".

Recently at a family gathering my cousin told us about her special memories of the time she spent with her grandmother on the days her mother worked.

One of the fond memories she had was sharing treats. Twice a week her grandmother would send her to the corner store with a nickle to buy a bag of peanuts. She was only 6 years old at the time so her grandmother would watch her walk to the corner store for the peanuts.

When she returned with the peanuts her grandmother would open the package and lay out the peanuts on a cloth towel then folded the towel over to cover the peanuts. Her grandmother would then smash the peanuts with a small pan to make small pieces.

My cousin clearly remembered how excited she and her grandmother were to sit together on the couch and share the peanuts. They talked about what they did during the day and how much they liked peanuts. She remembered that she spoke to her grandmother in Italian since her grandmother did not understand or speak English.

Many of our memories do not always follow through to the next generation. We could only hope that the time we spend with our kids in today's high tech world will make special memories that they will have for a lifetime.

What is your favorite memory of 'life's simple pleasure'? Feel free to comment and share your memory. Just remember to keep them rated "PG" for everyone to enjoy as this is a family show!!!!!!


La Bella Vita!
Winelady Cooks