Guilty Pleasures

Keep in mind, it's Spring Break, so I'm allowed to do less, very little, or even nothing. I am trying to make today "nothing" day, but I'm not sure my wife will let me get away with that (something about her wanting me to do the laundry ... there's always tomorrow for that).

This afternoon, I did find myself in front of the television enjoying an hour of Tom and Jerry, yes the classic cartoon that is sent to symphonic scores where Tom (the cat) never seems to tire of chasing Jerry (the mouse) who always seems to win the battle in the end (often with the assistance of Spike, the dog, or one of several other cameo characters that happen to drop by for the particular episode.

Even though the plot is predictable, and in some cases I know exactly what will happen, I find Tom and Jerry enjoyable. Yes, they can be a bit violent at times (it can't be too violent, I grew up on Tom and Jerry and I didn't end up as a mass-murderer) but overall they are quite enjoyable. I was pleased today to find Tom and Jerry working together to care for a baby because the teenage babysitter was much too busy talking on the phone with her friend to notice that the baby was wandering away. So, yes, maybe the plot often revolves around some sort of dysfunction and finds a way to make us laugh at it, but I will still defend Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the other classics over any of today's cartoons.


Keeping with my food theme (of this week anyway) I was also recalling how my parents used to enjoy a beverage called a "Tom and Jerry" which I always thought was ironic, a drink named after a cartoon (o.k. maybe the cartoon was named after the drink ... no chance it is just coincidence). It was primarily a Christmas drink for my parents and they offered my brother and I the "non-alcoholic" version, which to me tasted terrible, I can't recall what it tasted like, but I know it was gross. I used to marvel at my parents' choice to drink the stuff, maybe the brandy and rum mixed into the concoction made the taste better, or at least made the drinker forget about the taste, but I couldn't figure out why they would sit and sip this disgusting concoction. I recall watching my parents make this drink ... it came in a wax-papered-tub, like sour cream, (keep in mind this would have been the early 80's) and the "batter", as the mix was called, had a consistency like meringue (something else I am not a huge fan of). A dollop of the batter into the mug, a bit of brandy and rum, then hot water on top. YUCK!

My parents used to contend that it was better than Egg Nog, so I wasn't introduced to that awful egg-drink until I was at my grandparents house and received a small glass. That's something else I just can't stomach. I guess I just wasn't made to drink eggs, that's all there is to it.

On to foods I was made to eat, I have found one of the greatest snack foods ever ...
Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Potato Chip!
Yes, the marketing works, I don't feel near as guilty about sitting down and eating an entire bag of these chips, after all they have 33% less fat than regular potato chips. I know, that doesn't mean I'm supposed to eat the whole bag in one sitting, especially covered in a fat-laddened dip, but hey, I can't change human nature, so I just do what I do and feel less guilty about it.

For those of you unfortunate souls that don't have Trader Joe's near you, I suggest you write your local political representatives and get them doing something meaningful, like passing a law that every town needs a Trader Joe's. Now, you can't find all of your groceries at Trader Joe's, but you can find most of the staples, and really anything you can't find at Trader Joe's, you just don't need (you may want it, but you don't need it).

The shopping experience at Trader Joe's is not one for the faint of heart. It may just be this area, but I have yet to shop Trader Joe's when I could casually examine all of the products I wanted at my own pace without being asked to "excuse me" by at least 20 people (often half of them are the employees trying to stock shelves or help customers). You have to go in knowing what you want and grab it. This does make the first trip a bit daunting, but it's so worth it. The foods are generally organic or at least natural and "healthier" than most other mass-produced foods.

The worst part of the shopping experience at Trader Joe's is the check-out lane. Even when it's "less busy" they have cashiers at every lane and there are often lines at least 5 deep at each line (the express lane is notorious for having 10 people in it, and moving no faster than the other lanes, thus creating a false sense of "express") so it's always helpful to bring a book to read ... or if you're with someone, one of you should get in line when you get there, the other should go get everything, and by the time your cart is full, the person in line should be about ready to check-out.

I keep thinking I'm going to add some insightful theological bent to my ramblings, but so far that hasn't been happening. Maybe I'll change the description of my blog ... maybe I'll just be more intentional about what I write.