Re: (Memories of another Generation

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/28/02 10:00:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

ssuttons@... writes:

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>MEMORIES OF ANOTHER GENERATION

> > > > > >

> > > > > > > " Hey Dad, " one of my kids asked the other day, " what

> > > > > > > was your favorite fast food when you were growing up? "

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > " We didn't have fast food when I was growing up, " I

> > > > > > > informed him. " All the food was slow. "

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > " C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat? " " It was a

> > > > > > > place called 'at home,' " I explained.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > " Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa

> > > > > > > got home from work, we sat down together at

> > > > > > > the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she

> > > > > > > put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did

> > > > > > > like it. "

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was

> > > > > > > afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage,

> > > > > > > so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have

> > > > > > > permission to leave the table.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > But here are some other things I would have told him

> > > > > > > about my childhood if I had figured his system could

> > > > > > > handle it. My parents NEVER: owned their own house,

> > > > > > > wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of

> > > > > > > the country, or had a credit card.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > In their later years they had something called a

> > > > > > > revolving charge card.

> > > > > > > The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it

> > > > > > > was Sears AND Roebuck. Either way, there is no

> > > > > > > Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This

> > > > > > > was because we never had heard of soccer. But also

> > > > > > > because we didn't have a car. We actually WALKED to

> > > > > > > school. Even when there was a foot of snow on the

> > > > > > > ground.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > We didn't have a television in our house until I was

> > > > > > > 15, but my grandparents had one before that. It was,

> > > > > > > of course, black and white, but they bought a piece of

> > > > > > > colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third

> > > > > > > was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was

> > > > > > > green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was

> > > > > > > perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks

> > > > > > > riding across someone's lawn on a sunny day.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > I was 16 before I tasted my first pizza. It was a

> > > > > > > Luigi's Pizza on the west side of Cleveland and my

> > > > > > > friend, Ronnie, took me there to try what he said was

> > > > > > > " pizza pie. " When I bit into it, I burned the roof of

> > > > > > > my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down,

> > > > > > > plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too.

> > > > > > > It's still the best pizza I ever had.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that, the

> > > > > > > only car in our family was my grandfather's Plymouth.

> > > > > > > He called it a " machine. "

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in

> > > > > > > the house was in the living room and it was on a party

> > > > > > > line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and

> > > > > > > make sure some people you didn't know weren't already

> > > > > > > using the line.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > There was no such thing as a computer or a hand held

> > > > > > > calculator. We were required to memorize the " times

> > > > > > > tables " . Believe it or not, we were tested each week

> > > > > > > on our ability to perform mathematics with nothing but

> > > > > > > a pencil and paper. We took a spelling test every

> > > > > > > day. There was no such thing as a " social promotion " .

> > > > > > > If you flunked a class, you repeated that grade the

> > > > > > > following year. Nobody was concerned about our " self

> > > > > > > esteem " . We had to actually DO something praiseworthy

> > > > > > > before we were praised. We learned that respect had

> > > > > > > to be EARNED.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys

> > > > > > > delivered newspapers.

> > > > > > > I delivered the Cleveland " News " six days a week. It

> > > > > > > cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents.

> > > > > > > On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my

> > > > > > > customers. My favorite customers were the ones who

> > > > > > > gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My

> > > > > > > least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to

> > > > > > > never be home on collection day.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least,

> > > > > > > they did in the movies. Touching someone else's

> > > > > > > tongue with yours was called French kissing and they

> > > > > > > didn't do that in movies. I don't know what they did

> > > > > > > in French movies. French movies were dirty and we

> > > > > > > weren't allowed to see them.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Drugs were something one purchased at a pharmacy in

> > > > > > > order to cure various diseases. When you were sick,

> > > > > > > the doctor actually came to your home. No, I am not

> > > > > > > making this up.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > If we dared to " sass " our parents, or any other

> > > > > > > grown-up, we immediately found out what soap tasted

> > > > > > > like. For more serious infractions, we learned about

> > > > > > > something called a " trip to the woodshed " . In those

> > > > > > > days, parents were expected to discipline their

> > > > > > > children when necessary.

> > > > > > > There was no interference by the government. " Social

> > > > > > > Services " or " Family Services " had not been invented.

> > > > > > > (The ninth and tenth amendments to the constitution

> > > > > > > were still observed in those days.)

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > If you grew up in a generation before there was fast

> > > > > > > food, you may want to share some of these memories

> > > > > > > with your children or grandchildren.

> > > > > > > Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

> > > > > > > Growing up ain't what it used to be.

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