Having grown up in South Africa (but with my father in the USA) we never really ahd the packaged loveliness that can inspire Proustian lustings as an adult. But oh boy did that ever intensify my adoration of Fruit Roll-Ups and Count Chocula, which I consumed on my annual vacations to see my father.

Merely recounting the taste for my school friends in Africa was almost enough to send us all into paroxysms of misery and joy. There we were with our crappy lunchboxes and there was I who had eaten AMERICAN treats. I became something of a celebrity for having tasted a real Amercian Twinkie, the kind we all drooled over in our Archie comics.

Oddly enough, as an adult I long for South African candies and lament the loss of that great Commonwealth pantheon of chocolate and sweets that I have left behind. But the power of the American Fruit Rollup and Twinkie…I can still smell their manufactured heaven…I can smell the POWER I had over my classmates and friends. And when I brought actual samplings of these treats back to Africa, you can be sure I had a lot more friends than I ever realized.

A great post. I do hope you will visit me sometime.

have you ever been to the beaches in pismo or avila beach? i promise it’s freeeeeeezing!

but now, i feel like a bad mommy. so tomorrow we are packing it up and heading to the ocean. thanks a lot.

ps: only 20 days to go. i am due sept 15th. but i think she’s debuting on the 10th.

And hauling stuff at the beach? I’m the dumbass who had to carry a sleeping 45 pound Amara from the exit of the Magic Kingdom all the way to a ferry boat and then up a dock and then all the way over to the other end of the resort because Dad2Amara thought she was too old for a stroller. Gack.

Thanks for the beautiful pics… I’m going to check airfares now

:)
Rachael

I’m putting your link up on my new site now …finally getting organized

Imagine how trips to the beach will be with a new little blue baby in tow. Twice as much crap to lug back and forth, and twice as many kids!