Until just quite recently I have always hated licorice. I am not a fussy eater (a self evident statement) but licorice was the only food in the North American diet that I abhorred. Absolutely could not stand it. My motto all my adult life has been, " I would be a skinny person if the world was made of licorice." I could not even swallow the most minute bit of Tiger Tiger ice cream. I had some on my tongue once and had to run and rinse out my mouth the taste was that 'distasteful'.
I say it has been only until recently that I have hated licorice because in the last year or so I discovered that I actually like it . It took the discovery of chocolate covered licorice bits to even tempt me to put licorice in my mouth . I figured in all my prairie classiness that I could suck off the chocolate and spit out the licorice, but I found instead that I quite liked the taste combination and decided to widen my licorice taste experience. I can now truly say that licorice is part of my dietary source of something unpronounceable and unspellable.
Thinking about this flip flop of dietary preference I started wondering about why I had hated licorice so much. Had my body metabolism changed over the course of 50 plus years? Had I not been allergic to licorice as I had always thought?
Then I remembered....
I was about 3 at the time. It was a warm summer's day. My dad had driven into the yard from town. I went to greet him and he said, "Come here, I have something for you." I went running towards him in eager anticipation thinking 'Daddy brought something for ME!' He leaned into the cab of the truck and brought out a bag of candies and said , "Here you go!" I was totally thrilled and I followed him into the house with candy bag in hand busily opening the crinkly and colourful treasure. I walked into the farm kitchen carrying my gift. I saw my Dad , my Mom, and a neighbor sitting at the table as well as my 9 year old sister, Linda.
That is when these words struck my ears, "You have to give Linda some of those candies."
I can still hear the sound of candies hitting the floor, the cupboards, the ceiling, and the table as they landed. I can see the look of shock and embarrassment on my mother's face as her three year old struck up a tantrum of greedy indignation . I can hear my father and neighbour's laughter. I know there was this loud siren sound coming from what I realize now was my voice box as I was suddenly lifted and taken down the hall . Then after being bare bottom spanked and sent upstairs to bed , I found myself to be , of course, candiless.
The whole incident from the time Dad drove into the yard and me being in my bed took probably less than four minutes..but it has remained in family memory for well over 50 years.
My Dad in particular liked to recall that little story ..throw it in my face if you will. If I ever got upset over something he would comment, "It's just like the time you threw the candies." Then he'd laugh.
Yes I remember that bag of candies very well...and I also remember that it was a bag of Licorice Candy All Sorts.
Two more points I think should be mentioned:
a.. Who in their right mind would buy one bag of candy for two children?
and
b. Linda snuck some candies upstairs for me... I don't remember eating them but I do remember her bringing them.
I say it has been only until recently that I have hated licorice because in the last year or so I discovered that I actually like it . It took the discovery of chocolate covered licorice bits to even tempt me to put licorice in my mouth . I figured in all my prairie classiness that I could suck off the chocolate and spit out the licorice, but I found instead that I quite liked the taste combination and decided to widen my licorice taste experience. I can now truly say that licorice is part of my dietary source of something unpronounceable and unspellable.
Thinking about this flip flop of dietary preference I started wondering about why I had hated licorice so much. Had my body metabolism changed over the course of 50 plus years? Had I not been allergic to licorice as I had always thought?
Then I remembered....
I was about 3 at the time. It was a warm summer's day. My dad had driven into the yard from town. I went to greet him and he said, "Come here, I have something for you." I went running towards him in eager anticipation thinking 'Daddy brought something for ME!' He leaned into the cab of the truck and brought out a bag of candies and said , "Here you go!" I was totally thrilled and I followed him into the house with candy bag in hand busily opening the crinkly and colourful treasure. I walked into the farm kitchen carrying my gift. I saw my Dad , my Mom, and a neighbor sitting at the table as well as my 9 year old sister, Linda.
That is when these words struck my ears, "You have to give Linda some of those candies."
I can still hear the sound of candies hitting the floor, the cupboards, the ceiling, and the table as they landed. I can see the look of shock and embarrassment on my mother's face as her three year old struck up a tantrum of greedy indignation . I can hear my father and neighbour's laughter. I know there was this loud siren sound coming from what I realize now was my voice box as I was suddenly lifted and taken down the hall . Then after being bare bottom spanked and sent upstairs to bed , I found myself to be , of course, candiless.
The whole incident from the time Dad drove into the yard and me being in my bed took probably less than four minutes..but it has remained in family memory for well over 50 years.
My Dad in particular liked to recall that little story ..throw it in my face if you will. If I ever got upset over something he would comment, "It's just like the time you threw the candies." Then he'd laugh.
Yes I remember that bag of candies very well...and I also remember that it was a bag of Licorice Candy All Sorts.
Two more points I think should be mentioned:
a.. Who in their right mind would buy one bag of candy for two children?
and
b. Linda snuck some candies upstairs for me... I don't remember eating them but I do remember her bringing them.
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