%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
|
This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| A long-standing family tradition is to have oyster stew on Christmas morning. Forget the presents and Santa. Just give us the buttery oyster-slimy hot milk and crackers! It was my grandparents' custom, and I don't know how many generations, if any, before that. My mom's family did oyster stew as well, but I don't know if that's a regional thing, or if my dad influenced them. My grandfather, who lived close by, would come to our house Christmas morning to see what Santa had left us. Then he would eat a second bowl of oyster stew with us. He covered his with black pepper. It was a sea of pepper. When I was a kid, I couldn't eat the oysters, but I liked the oyster juice in the salty milk, with saltines. My grandmother served it with oyster crackers, the little ones that float on top. I prefer the saltines, and I like them crunched up in the stew. I have known others who like to butter the saltines and eat them on the side with their stew. I suspect it started as a regional thing, since we're not far from the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. However, there is a moratorium on their oysters right now while they clean up the Bay and restock the oyster beds. With modern trucking, the oysters can come from almost anywhere. If I can't get them from the mid-Atlantic, I want them from Louisiana or the Gulf Coast. I do eat the oysters these days. I try to cut back on the saltines, but I have to have them. My dad likes some salty ham cut up in his, not cooked in, but added at his plate. These days we only have three for breakfast, not a whole house full. With children, and great-grandchildren, Santa keeps them too late to come over. And they have to hit all the grandparents, including divorced ones, so they have a lot of rounds. We don't have guests or "dates" over either any more. I miss the days when we could expect non-relatives for breakfast or lunch. But we will still have oyster stew, even if there were only one, because we like it. And because it's tradition. It's our history. Many memories are tied to it.  |
 Log in to Leave Feedback |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
