Maybe, but there's no way to know. I've got a good memory, but I can only remember what happened from my own point of view. I could spend an afternoon at the park with my sister and my parents, and we would all have different memories of that day.
I can't predict what will be memorable for Charlotte, but I can tell her what foods stood out to me as an Iowa kid living in Inwood and later Rock Valley.
These are my time travel foods; one bite and I'm a kid again.
Ramen Noodles.
My dad made these noodles when I was Charlotte's age, and I was soooo impressed by them. I thought that Dad had taken spaghetti and worked some kind of magic that made the noodles curly. I'd ask him, "Are we having your fancy noodles tonight?" Dad laughed every time I called them that.
White Castle Burgers.
My mom was excited to get Chinese take out when we visited my Great Aunt Elnora (we called her Grandma) in Minneapolis. Mom always ordered chicken chow mein. I thought that was grossest looking stuff ever. Dad would bring back hamburgers from White Castle to make me (and him, I suspect) happy. These were memorable for multiple reasons. One) There are no White Castle restaurants in Iowa. Two) These burgers are kid-sized, and I felt pretty grown up because I could eat more than one. Three) At 17 cents a piece, Dad would buy as many as I wanted.
Vanilla Ice Cream with Toppings.
One of my favorite desserts was vanilla ice cream topped with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup and Spanish peanuts. We always ate this when my family was hanging out with the Paulsons at their house. The ice cream was served at sunset, and we would sit outside on a porch that faced a corn field. Watching fireflies floating between the corn stalks was like seeing the stars dance.
Eating this now is like holding a bowl of liquid summer.
Snickers with Toppings.
For years Reese ran TV commercials with someone accidentally dropping a chocolate bar into a jar of peanut butter. Those commercials inspired me to smear a layer of peanut butter on top of a Snickers bar. I was eleven, and I never looked back. Since my mom kept a jar of Bacos next to the peanut butter, I'd sprinkle some bacon bits of top, too. I mean, why not?
More than once Mom told me how disgusting that snack was, but fast forward to 2011:
And in August of last year, Bacon Today published this recipe:
See, Mom? I wasn't gross. I was cutting-edge.
Chick-O-Stick.
My love for the Chick-O-Stick came from an economic decision. When I was little, my mom would give me a quarter to buy candy once a week. Dan's Clover Farm, the only grocery store in Inwood, sold candy bars for a twenty cents. Chick-O-Sticks were a dime. Even a second grader could do that math. I can get one candy bar, or two "chicken sticks"? If I saved my change, I could get three "chicken sticks" next time! Hellooo, dentist!
Tasting good was almost an afterthought. Happily, the crunchy Chick-O-Stick (named because it resembled fried chicken) is made up of peanut butter, granulated sugar, and toasted coconut - three of my favorite ingredients. Hellooo, 1976. Speaking of fried chicken...
Broasted Chicken.
Broasted chicken is different than fried chicken, but I didn't know that growing up. If we wanted chicken for dinner in Rock Valley, we could get it from Bake's Bar, Green Acres Drive-In, or The Windmill Drive-In. It was always called "Broasted" or "Broaster chicken", and since everyone (in my very small world) served it that way, I thought Broasted must be the only way chicken is ever prepared.
FYI: Broaster is a company name whose equipment is only available to commercial restaurants, so the Broasting method isn’t something that can be done at home. Broatsed chicken is cooked using high pressure cooking, and it produces chicken pieces that are juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. As a bonus, it’s has 40% less fat and fewer calories than your typical fried chicken.
If I want to eat Broasted chicken in Des Moines (and I do!), I can get an authentic 70's vibe at the High Life Lounge or just eat at a Pizza Ranch buffet - a franchise that began in Hull, Iowa which is less than 10 miles from Rock Valley.
BTW, telling people that I ate at the very first Pizza Ranch in 1981 impresses no one. I'm just saying.
Any Fast Food.
For most of my youth, the closest fast food restaurant to Rock Valley was an hour away. It's hard to explain to someone who lived in the city how going to McDonald's was special. You'd be laying on the couch watching The Greatest American Hero, and at the commercial break they'd advertise something like a McRib. If it looked good, you'd know that it might be a month before you got to try one. When Dad finally pulled the car in to the parking lot beneath the Golden Arches, it was an event.
For example, in 1985 Sioux Center (located 14 miles from Rock Valley) was lucky enough to have Hardee's build a returaunt in their town. Here's a picture from Google maps:
How big of a deal was that? I knew a lot of guys who took their prom dates there, and the girls didn't complain!
"I got you a char-broiled brown corsage," he said proudly.
Taco John's Apple Grande.
Have you ever seen a cheese tray that also offered grapes or sliced apples? Of course you have. That's my point. Fruit and cheese go together. Apple pie and cheddar cheese is another great food combination from my youth. My Grandma liked to sing in the kitchen at Christmas time, "Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze!"
Christmas might be why I liked the Apple Grande so much. Eating it made me think of the holidays. Now the holidays are the only time you can get one. To quote the TJ website, "There’s nothing else like an Apple Grande, and it’s back for a limited time! Sweet apple filling is spread over a crispy, flaky shell then topped with shredded cheddar cheese and cinnamon candy sugar. Get it while you can!"
I think I will.
Gotta go.
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