Summer...in a Bag?

Summer could easily mean eating food as juicy and refreshing as watermelon. The dribble of juice running down the chin as the fruit, as cool and sweet as a popsicle, is cherished under the sun's heat.

It could also easily mean ice cream purchased from a shop on a pier as the salty spray of the ocean mists the face. How effortless to enjoy the sweet with the relaxing sounds and view as jealous seagulls fly above!

While these memories of food in the summer are easy and expected, the one food that represents the hottest time of the year came from a garbage bag.

It was a rare occasion when family members from out of state made the drive to California. My Nana and Papa's house was always the place to congregate for any kind of celebration. The sliding doors would be open wide to allow family guests the space to move from the living area to the back patio. Us kids would usually be busy playing games somewhere throughout as the adults formed groups to socialize with a beer or glass of wine in hand.

On this particular day, there were too many mouths to feed to justify doing a meal on the stove. Now I had enjoyed taco salad before, but never in my life had I seen it prepared in a garbage bag. Without a bowl big enough, it was a logical choice! My parents were quick to think of an innovative way to prepare such a large quantity of food in a short period of time. Toss in the ground beef, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, powders and tortilla chips and all that remained was to take hold of the top of the bag, twist it tightly and shake it vigorously to mix the ingredients together! To this day I remember the image of my Nana shaking this black bag and trying to keep her strength while laughing uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of the situation with my aunt.

Can you imagine running to the kitchen to get some water after playing with siblings and cousins only to see your grandmother shaking dinner over her head in a garbage bag? I don't think I would have if I hadn't seen it for myself! Perhaps it was her determination and a sip or two of wine that helped her to lift that heavy bag.

To add to the...theme, the bag was placed in a garbage can for everyone to scoop a generous serving onto their plates. To be honest, it may have been something other than a can for garbage, but I had already come to accept that my dinner had been prepared in the bag so why not fully commit?

Thank goodness we didn't have to use rubber gloves to scoop our helpings out of the bin. Or, can you imagine, trying to use a trash-picker-upper? The wait to get the food would have been forever, as funny as it would have been!

I'll tell you what, though, that was some of the best taco salad I have ever had!

No one stuck their nose up at the food provided. We all took our plates, jokingly calling it "garbage", and sat around the large dining table to smile and laugh about the ridiculous genius in the meal. It gave us all a memory to cherish. Who else can say that they enjoyed taco salad from a garbage bag?

Everyone was well fed. There wasn't an issue of not having enough. In fact, I'm fairly certain there were some leftovers for days!

For the rest of my life, when I think of the summer, I will fondly remember the day we ate taco salad from a garbage bag!