Overripe pears bring back memories

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/11/2020 (2023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I often find surprise treats on my front steps or in my mailbox. Gifts from my neighbours of soup, chicken, roast beef, cake, cookies, or other interesting and delicious baked creations. 

Today it was a bag of overripe pears which I made short work of. Being overripe did not lessen the quality, flavour, or kindness of the gift as they were soft, juicy, and delicious. Eating them took me back to my childhood, when money was scarce and my mother often stretched our grocery budget by buying overripe fruit, vegetables, and other bargains. We often enjoyed one favourite, overripe bananas, in sandwiches. Later, others of my vintage told me they too enjoyed banana sandwiches with of peanut butter, which I hadn’t tried but will next time I find some overripe bananas.

One gourmet treat my mother brought home from Eaton’s was an economically priced package of assorted deli meats, comprised of the tail ends of various cold meat rolls. Ham, bologna, liver sausage, blood sausage, corned beef, head cheese, jellied tongue, salami, and macaroni and cheese loaf were often included, giving us a lasting taste for and appreciation of different foods.

Getting on in life, I have retained some parsimonious habits and though not financially needy occasionally buy marked-down products. I enjoy fresh baked goods but as they often end up in my freezer I find nothing wrong with marked-down products. However, the arrival of these pears got me wondering why some look down on this form of  bargain hunting as demeaning and below their dignity, while others take it in stride. 

Changing course slightly, I recall a story that helps explain that mindset.  ears ago, I was having a beer with a young woman I had just met. When I started rolling a cigarette, she offered me one of hers, which I declined, because I preferred my hand-rolled smokes. I realized later that she probably came from a family that had to roll their own cigarettes and considered doing so in public an affront to her sensibilities and a sign of poverty — she was embarrassed. 

Since then, I have found that some people who were deeply scarred by pinched circumstances early in life go to great lengths to keep memories of that period in life deeply buried, while others not only take them in stride, they relish reliving them. 

Ron Buffie is a community correspondent for Transcona. Email him at ronbuffie@shaw.ca

Ron Buffie
Transcona community correspondent

Ron Buffie was a community correspondent for Transcona.

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