Summer Marshmallows

The marshmallows were on sale when she went to the market today. She decided to buy a bag. She had such good memories of smores, as a child at summer camp and school camping trips. She thought of the melted Hersey bar creations. Trying to keep the melted mess from falling off the graham crackers, She remembered her mother laughing as she licked the gunk off her fingers. In fact, everybody had been laughing. Her mother would make up stories. She often created them by using the names of her students. The children were thrilled by the tales.

She had tried to make the dessert in the microwave when she got older but had not been able to recreate the campfire wonder. It is hard to recreate such a social adventure, when alone in her apartment. The memories were so tied to the food. She still, as an elder, sang some of the songs which had filled her nights around the campfire.

Now an adult she rushed home from the market to eat her marshmallows. She played with them in her fingers. Softening them as she used to when she was younger. She remembered how she would purposely brown the outside, and sometimes burn them. As a child marshmallows were definitely one of her favorite summer treats.

She thought about having some hot chocolate. It was summer but chocolate and marshmallow in her mind had proven to be perfect for any season. Hot chocolate with a melted floating marshmallow. She melted the sweet white decadence in her now-made drink. She sat and sipped the warm drink, it was the basis of warm memories. As a child hot chocolate was often an after-dinner treat. They seemed to have a lot of after-dinner treats when she was young. She remembered the mints that her Nana would give them. Another one of her favorite foods. Thinking back she wondered if these childhood memories had somehow influenced her taste buds, The foods she associated with good memories she still ate today. The flake and mint candy she had had in England, had soothed her stress, a pure emotional delight. She knew it was just a flavor in her mouth, and that associating it with emotional pleasure would make her fat. As a child, she had been overweight. The professionals had said it was emotional, but she had never really understood it, She thought she was eating to dismiss her unhappiness, her loneliness. Thinking back, eating her marshmallow, thinking of summer and camping out, she realized how much happiness the memory and the flavor were giving her. Maybe by eating the foods, she was reliving the memories she associated with them.

Melting white marshmallow- a soothing campfire- a summer wonder

A floating mass of sweetness in my drink, The chocolate blends

Or a blob in my ice cream sundae- who would ever want whip cream

The laughter, the chocolatey mess - my memories cling to that marshmallow

No fighting, no competition. No glimpse into the economic facts, the loss of our dad. Eating that gloppy marshmallow I was a child

Tasting the vanilla icecream, I was safe in my satisfaction, life was happy then, no evil around us- so young- no tv- no news

My mother probably thought I would become a cook I ate food, I cooked food. Joy came from a good-tasting creation.

Joy as the diners assemble- joy as their eyes closed with delight

Food was joy, joy was food, families eating

The overall theme- community togetherness and joy

Joyful food whether eaten in Summer or Winter, Fall or Spring

Bring up memories which make your mouth and heart sing