Pickled

I had a sweet pickle with dinner; I chopped it and mixed it with a stump
of cucumber, lemon juice, mayo, salt and pepper. The main dish was a rice
casserole with tuna and vegetables. I was wondering how someone could not
like pickles; maybe they didn't understand that one only eats these in small quantities,
to add zing to a meal.

Then I remembered. I am actually old enough to have known a time when
salad vegetables were only available in the summer. In the winter, one had
carrots, potatoes and canned vegetables. And the odd pickle, like at Christmas when
they were served in a special marinades dish. I used to eat shepherd's pie with
ketchup and relish, and a glass of milk. That was it, in winter.

In summer, there was a bounty of fresh produce, from the farmers' market.
I ate salad twice a day at the cottage, with Spam sandwiches. Yes, spam, because
in the summer, where was one supposed to find meat. Maybe a fancy barbecued
chicken from the newly opening supermarket once in a while. Spam and mock
chicken sandwiches; ate a lot of those.

I'm not sure how things were further south. Maybe a McDonalds with a slice of
tomato on a patty was a big deal. It must have been. Food historians might one day
have some good things to say about old McDs. I was well advanced as a teenager
when the first  opened in the city where I lived. Never went because
it was an adult hang-out.

Ironic that they are surviving, these days,  on serving on all-day breakfast. Back in
the day, breakfast foods were always available, if somewhat frowned on. We were
city folk, not farm labourers to eat like that!?