As I write this, shortly after hearing the bouncy melody of “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” I’m reminded of one of my favorite holiday dishes – Peeps. In last month’s column, I discussed this phenomenon of how a song can inspire food. This month, I’d like to share that thought in reverse.
More often than not, I watch TV with my wife, trying to bear with shows that range from “Say Yes To The Dress” to “Iron Chef,” doing my best not to think about the episodes of NCIS that I’’m missing.
One evening I heard the word “Scrapple” jump off the screen, and all kinds of feelings started to wash over me.
For those who don’t know, Scrapple is not a fun word game, but rather pork scraps and cornmeal made into a loaf that gets sliced and fried.
When I was in 7th and 8th grades, my mother would serve Scrapple every morning before school. As I ate, the kitchen radio played the EXACT same songs every day, in order. It was Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony & Ivory” that gave my Scrapple a voice. To this day, when I hear that song, I can smell the Scrapple frying.
As I bolted from the sofa to find a store that might stock Scrapple, Naperville’s own Casey’s Foods was one of only a few listed.
The next day, I felt like I had found the Holy Grail as I cleaned out Casey’s supply. And, after a Scrapple drought of about 30 years, I sat down with Paul and Stevie to taste my youth once again.
Here’s a special “Thank You” to Casey’s for stocking some of my most precious memories in their freezer section.
