Being a stay-at-home mom, I never pursued a career as a vocation (“a person's employment or main occupation, especially regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication.”) I ended up working a variety of temporary jobs when the kidswere in school and when we needed a little extra cash.
I loved the mixed experiences of different jobs, however, I
am also a creature of routine. I would establish routines at each job, one of which
regarded my snack. Looking back, I realize I established a snack at each job
that I would consume daily at work and almost never consume any other time or
place. Each snack is now reminiscent of
a particular place and time.
Currently, I’m in my Bazooka Joe years at Aiken Standard.
That momentary sugary pink bliss that so quickly turns into jaw-exhausting,
solid dense rock-like clump. And the comics and fortune in the wrapper!
I’m fond of my Jolly Rancher days at Samaritan’s Purse in
Charlotte. It was a seasonal job for a few years and I would have a dish of
jolly ranchers on my desk at all times for others to enjoy as well. But
secretly I kept all the blue ones for myself. I remember the beautiful,
uplifting music playing while we worked and this one co-worker who got all
excited every. Single. Time. That Anne Wilson’s “My Jesus” came on. We would
all get wound up on that song.
“… He
makes a way where there ain't no way
Rises up from an empty grave
Ain't no sinner that He can't save
Let me tell you 'bout my
Jesus
I worked for Jackie when she began her law firm, working
just until she could find a permanent secretary (Connie) and that was my
3-Musketeers season. There was another lawyer who would visit and eat my
Musketeers. So one time I saved my wrapper and filled it with a Pink Pearl
eraser then resealed it with glue. Sadly, I wasn’t there the day he chose that
Musketeer bar, but I get a lot of joy thinking about him opening it up in his
car as he drove away. I'm weird like that.
McDonald’s was my earliest job and they invented the chicken
nugget while I was working there. I had McNuggets almost every shift I worked.
Also, of course, nibbling on a hot fudge sundae every time I worked the
drive-thru.
When I worked for a month in Ireland, Cadbury caramel and
Galaxy chocolate bars were my thing. And I toyed around with hot tea, but that
was mostly for show.
Rollos were my candy of choice while working in Boone one
cold Winter. I have such fond memories of driving up on the parkway for sunrise
before work, then hitting it for sunset after work, Rollos tucked in the cup
holder of my Jeep.
I could go on, you know it, but enough about me….
What about the White House? Do they have snack routines that
change between Presidents? I turned to
Google and to www.whitehousehistory.org/the-presidential-sweet-tooth
to find out everything you need to know.
Probably the most popular is Ronald Reagan’s fascination
with Jelly Beans. Many pictures of White House meetings feature a jar of jelly
beans front and center. And it wasn’t just the White House. Back when he was a
lowly Governor, the Herman Goelitz Candy Co sent his office a monthly shipment
of jelly beans and they made him a
customized jelly bean jar. I didn’t get
any customized jars for any of my snacks. I’m sad about that.
Most unusual was in 1984 when President Miguel de la Madrid
of Mexico visited the White House. The executive pastry chef created cactuses
out of kiwi sorbet filled with tequila-flavored mousse and decorated with
pulled-sugar flowers and spines. You can’t really call that a routine though, I
just threw that in here as a bonus.
The routines were as follows: Clinton, gummies. FDR, rock candy. Carter,
peanut brittle. Obama, salted caramels. (more on Obama here) (and even more here) Bush, fried pork rinds. Jefferson, ice
cream. (Remember when you all screamed for ice cream?) George Washington, chocolate. (Remember when Marjorie passionately talked to herself about chocolate?)First recorded order was for 20 pounds of
it in 1757. His largest was 50 pounds in 1799, three months prior to his death.
Don’t you know as they recorded that information they wondered who on earth
would be interested in this?
I don’t know what President Jackson’s favorite was, but one
time a dairy farmer sent him a 1,400 pound brick of cheese. He let it age for
two years and then invited the public to come eat it. Maybe cheese was his
routine snack, but probably not after that one.
What’s your routine snack?
PS. Read about my worst snack. Good times.
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