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Five Foods That Remind Me of My Grandpa
I was a toddler guinea pig
When I was between two to three years old we lived in my Mom’s home state Massachusetts. And then again when I was in the third grade, around eight to nine I guess. And then again, finally, from freshman year of high school onwards through college.
In between those times, for most of my childhood, I lived in Norfolk, Virginia, my Dad’s home state. It wasn’t the most straightforward upbringing, but that is life as the child of an alcoholic with parents in on/off separation.
My Mom’s dad wasn’t in my life as much as my Dad’s dad, but I still have some nice memories of him, many of which revolve around food. I think he was what some would call nowadays a “foodie”, he loved to eat in a way that felt a little bit extra, in a way that I noticed from a young age.
Maybe it was because he went out of his way to share different foods with me that I remember him for this. I recall him taking me into Boston one day. We went to a seafood restaurant for clam chowder, and then into his favorite candy store to get black licorice.
I think I wanted to please him so much I instantly developed a taste for the weird stuff, how else could a toddler/kid like it? I remember he would buy a licorice pipe and get me a few pieces of rope to gnaw on.
