A Child's View Of Value Analysis
Hedy (see Recommended Sidebar) had a post today listing cheap fun things to do. One was buy the candy you loved as a kid. Her choice was Whoppers.
She brought back a memory from long ago. Though I didn't know it at the time, I grew up upper class poor. I have two brothers. Both of my parents worked full time jobs. We always had plenty of food and clean clothes; but, discretionary spending was something that rarely happened.
Back then in the Detroit area every kid wore clothes from Sears or hand-me-downs (J.C. Penney was considered upscale. Hudson's was for the well-to-do East and North siders). As the eldest, I got the better end of the bargain than my brothers as they got my out-grown clothes.
One of the family's forms of "cheap entertainment" was a Friday or Saturday night trip to Sears. Most trips consisted of just wandering through the departments, tools (Craftsman), housewares (Kenmore) and maybe a peek at toys. On occasion, something would be bought.
Along the main aisle (this was long before store merchandisers discovered that making aisles an obstacle course increased sales) about in the center of the store was the candy and nut counter. Pick your poison, and Sears had it. Under angled glass, at the perfect height for a seven year old to be face level with the loose goods on display. The nut section had lights in the case to warm them, wafting the smell through the store.
Not every time, but often enough, my middle brother and I (Tim was a baby in these years) were allowed to choose a quarter pound of anything. I don't know that I actually remember the first time this happened; but, I can imagine that I was overwhelmed with the prospect. Choose? Make a decision among all this?
Over time, the choices narrowed to Whoppers or cashews. But then the ultimate choice was sooo difficult. On the scale of exotic, cashews won. They won on flavor, though Whoppers were just behind. I almost always chose Whoppers. Why, a quarter pound is a quarter pound isn't it? In my young eyes, Whoppers won out because, having less mass (?) than cashews, there were more in the little bag. A quarter pound bag of Whoppers was bigger than a quarter pound bag of cashews. It took longer to consume. More pleasure for the money.
Though I'm not much for sweets or snacks as an adult, would my choice be the same today? I think not. I'd go for the flavor and buy more to make up for the the mass problem. Discretionary income has taken some of the adventure from my life.
5 comments:
I have done this sort of thing - in a desire to return to the past, if only for a moment, I have purchased something either for myself or my daughter.
it doesn't work for me that well. There is something about each item that's magic belongs to the period of time in which it was purchased.
I was a big TWIX fan. I lived off TWIX while at Cambridge. Yet... yet they just aren't as good as they once were.
I will take a quality piece of dark chocolate or a truffle over a TWIX any day... though I would definitely get more TWIX for the money!
To leave the cost part of the equation out, I understand what you are saying. As a kid, I loved Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies, if that's how you spell the latter. I, I can't say I ate it, I took a bite of a Twinkie a few years back and gagged on the sugar; yet, I remember loving them and the Cupcakes as a kid.
That said, there are other foods from when I was young that have no equivalent today. My Mother's apple or cherry pie, her spaghetti and chili sauce (though mine and my middle brother's versions, based on her's, with a bit more fire and spice are better).
I go through this kind of "agony" -sort of, it is -every year around Christmas as I try to bake all kinds of cookies -old recipes, try some new ones -and also wanting to get various ethnic items that we always had over the holidays too. All that just so I can take a journey back in time. I've found it isn't the food stuff itself -flavor, etc -I am craving but rather the emotional connection to the atmosphere, the people who were always gathered around me then for some of the most wonderful times of my life. Kind of makes me think of the line from something -can't remember what now - "You can never go home." Something like that. I'll wager you know what I'm referring to but can't put my finger on it at the moment.
"Look Homeward Angel," Thomas Wolfe. And yes you can, I did when writing the post. You did while baking.
Ooh, you were rich if you shopped at Sears. We shopped at Kresge's and K-Mart. And you actually left the house? That's craziness. Of course, we had five kids and only the Former Father worked, at least at first. Mom started working when I was in the 7th or 8th grade, but it was to pay for Catholic school tuition.
I remember once in a blue moon I would go with Mom to Livonia Mall (not sure why nobody else would go) and as a treat we'd get a hot pretzel - 3 for $1. Woohoo!
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