When I was a kid, Friday night was cereal night. That's right - Mom took the night off from her God-awful cooking experiments choosing instead to let us have what we really wanted: treaty cereal. We didn't call it "treaty" back then; that's what my kids call it today, that is, any cereal loaded with enough sugar and rainbow-colored dyes to bring down a diabetic moose and color it purple to boot. Treaty, as opposed to what might be called "healthy" cereal, or those cereals designed to keep the pipes open and free-flowing.
Friday nights were also special because it was kid’s night for television, where Dad ceded control of the tube allowing us to watch the really good stuff. And what a night it was. It started with The Brady Bunch, followed by Nanny and the Professor, then The Partridge Family (my favorite — hey, I wanted to be Keith), and finally, That Girl. 10:00 o'clock was bedtime, and also time for Dad’s show, Love, American Style, a show we were forbidden to watch.
On Fridays, we were allowed to eat on TV trays and sit in the family room in front of the television. It was glorious. And we could each have as many bowls of cereal as we wanted, up to three. Ok, it wasn’t a total free-for-all. But three was usually enough; more than that and we'd have probably ended up looking like kids today, gorging themselves on sugar sodas and chips and lugging the stuff around their enormous waists.
My favorite was Cap'n Crunch Berries. I had a ritual for eating them that I used every time in an effort to make each bowl last as long as possible. I would start by eating all of the plain pieces of Cap'n Crunch, you know, those little golden nuggets that were simply the tasteless appetizers before the real deal, the crunch berries. Then, and only then, after a final thorough search to ensure that none of the little buggers were hiding on me, I allowed myself the awesome kid-pleasure of finally digging in to those delicious crunchy pseudo-berries. Dear God, it was like tropical fruit in a box, and I couldn't get enough. Combine the taste sensation of Crunch Berries along with the viewing pleasure of The Partridge Family, and you had the makings of one hell of a great night. I have to hand it to my parents, because whether they meant to or not, they provided me with a memory of childhood that I carry with a smile to this day.
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Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
BC Culture /Tech editor Lisa Hoover chose this for a pick of the week. Click HERE to fnd out why.
Thank you. EE Temple
2 - Victor Plenty
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
Cute piece. My only complaint, and a faint complaint to be sure, arises from the way the phrasing in the title led me to expect some seriously Lovecraftian imagery in the text.
In retrospect I'm glad to have been disappointed on that score. The imagery already there in the title provides exactly the amount of Lovecraftian flavor needed for the piece. Adding any more would be like pouring maple syrup on your Crunch Berries.
3 - Psychedelic Pariah
Hi Lisa: I'm glad you enjoyed my essay and that you chose it as a pick of the week. Very exciting. ;)
4 - Psychedelic Pariah
Hi Victor: I'm glad that you enjoyed my essay -- I enjoyed remembering it and writing it. And the comparison to Lovecraft was very kind. ;)
5 - Lorna
It always seems that the reality never lives up to the memory. The mind's eye is so much clearer and kinder I suppose.
"What we remember from childhood we remember forever - permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen." ~Cynthia Ozick
6 - aging hippies
A tip of the hat to the pick of the pack. Congratulations to Pariah for being named "pick of the week."
7 - Psychedelic Pariah
So true, Lorna. Thanks for reading and commenting.
8 - Psychedelic Pariah
Thanks Michael. Good to hear from you.
9 - Al Barger
Perhaps a slight new twist would make it right. Have you tried the new Sea Creatures Crunch Berries? They turn the milk sea-blue, and have starfish and octupussies and such.