i guess i missed this as my grandmother had apples during the winter in the
celler, also as i said saltines or rits were not in their kitchens until i
was a teenager... but then my mother was married a year and had her first
child before she ever saw spaghetti, my father's mother bought it special
because her oldest daughter's husband was italian and she wanted to make him
feel at home, my mom had no idea what it was or how to even eat it, Lee
"l, not -l" > wrote in message
...
>
> On 16-Oct-2011, merryb > wrote:
>
>> On Oct 16, 12:57 am, sf > wrote:
>> > On Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:26:41 -0700 (PDT), merryb >
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > > Yes, I know. I was curious as to the need to substitute crackers for
>> > > apples...
>> >
>> > Sorry, I though I wouldn't say more but I can't believe you asked that
>> > question. The "mock" was Ritz crackers, you didn't know? The need
>> > was that apples were too expensive. It was the Depression Era when it
>> > came about. People couldn't afford food and they used cardboard to
>> > resole their shoes - if they were lucky enough to have any.
>> >
>> > --
>> > All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
>>
>> I'm sure apples would have been cheaper that crackers!
>
> Perhaps they were in SF and other big cities; but, not in 1950s Alzey
> Kentucky (population 4 in winter, 8 on summer weekends), except at peak
> apple season. The rest of the year, you'd have to drive 20-30 miles to
> find
> apples, while Ritz (or Sunshine Hi-Ho) crackers were readily available on
> the shelves of the Alzey General Store (conveniently located on SR 136 at
> Coon Country Lane). Since that general store was also the only place to
> buy
> gas, you'd have to stop there anyway. Oh, and the old man who ran the
> place
> would give you credit until you could sell your next crop; in the big
> city,
> they wanted cash from the small stash you had to get you through the
> winter.
>
> Alzey was a real place and there were thousands of little places like it
> around the country back-in-the-day. Folks under 50 or who never lived
> "in
> the sticks" can't appreciate how difficult it was to get things that are
> taken for granted today, even for those who could afford them.
>
> Finally, Ritz crackers were culinary gold in that time and place; a small
> indulgence that almost all could afford. Crushed, they were like icing
> on
> the cake when making macaroni and cheese (the real thing, not from box) or
> any other casserole. Sure they weren't your everyday cracker, that was
> saltines; but, sometimes you just needed to "kick it up a knotch".
> --
>
> Change Cujo to Juno in email address.