Do You Have a "Quirky" Food Favorite?

Everyone has their favorite “quirky” food favorite. We were making a quick lunch for ourselves at Mom’s home in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago, and my brother-in-law asked for a peanut butter and pickle sandwich! Argh!!! That brought back the memory of my husband, as a teenager at 14, working for his uncles' construction company. His favorite lunch kit meal? Banana and butter sandwiches. He told me about the kids at school wondering what that smell was coming from his locker. Long after we were married, he still loved banana sandwiches.

Some of my fondest memories are those mayonnaise sandwiches (yes, just mayo and bread) and for an added treat, Fritos dipped in mayo – served, as a child, while spending time at my cousin’s home. Her Mom, Aunt Marie, made those yummy sandwiches. I love that memory and I loved my precious aunt who was a true servant/server. She ALWAYS made way more food than was needed, because Uncle Dewaine (her husband), wanted to always have “more than enough”.

And, I remember my loving and devoted mom who was my hero in every aspect of life -- eating pickled pigs’ feet and a glass full of cornbread and milk – which is still one of my favorites. In fact, I had a glass full of cornbread and milk when I had some Cracker Barrel cornbread while at Mom’s. I always think of my Mama when I enjoy my own cornbread doused in milk. I ate the pigs’ feet right along with her years ago, but now when I see them….I think…..”What was I thinking?”

Today, salt and vinegar potato chips are sold everywhere, but I remember when my husband took me to his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and McDonald’s serving vinegar packets along with their ketchup packets for their French fries. My husband always loved dousing his French fries with vinegar.

One of my favorite memories, though, is shown in this photo that has been passed on to my granddaughter. Papa, my sweet husband, loved to put sugar on tortilla chips and eat them for his dessert. I'll never forget my daughter's hockey player boyfriend, in total exasperation, when he saw Ron eating the tortillas and, what he thought was a pile of salt instead of sugar. He said, "Well, we might as well get a body bag and zip you up in it, if you keep eating salt like that!" LOL!

Remembering some quirky food favorites was a joy for me in this post, but REMEMBERING my absolute favorite is the dearest to me. I segue to what may seem like a strange food favorite to those who DON'T understand – and that is when we step up to receive Holy Communion -- the greatest expression of God’s love for His people. It may seem "quirky" to some folks who don't get it, but we do, as it always evokes the memory of the price Jesus Christ paid for us in His death, burial and resurrection. On the night that He was betrayed, Jesus ate His last supper with His disciples. And knowing what He would accomplish through His sacrifice, He instituted Holy Communion.

His loving instruction is that we are to REMEMBER Him as we partake of His body and blood in Holy Communion. Jesus wanted us conscious of how His body was broken for our wholeness, and His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And whenever we partake, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). "We do this in remembrance of Him." That's just not a quirky tradition -- but one that gives us life-changing memories, and it's a feast where we aren’t “secret” believers. We are in the Family of God. We celebrate with other believers, and we communicate to Him saying "Lord, I belong to YOU and YOU belong to me."

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26