Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Jam Wars

Mmmmm. 

Sweet, tasty stickiness.
It categorizes you.
Marks your place in the family.
Even decides if you will be granted admission to the family.
It provides delicious accompaniment to your breakfast, and, at times, other meals during the day. (Members of my family eat it the Swedish way, with grilled cheese. Ick!)
It is yummy, and, if not eaten in copious (Ooo, good word!) quantities, is even very good for you.
I'm talking about jam.
Tasty, sticky, always lands toast-side-up. Jam.
More particularly, strawberry vs. raspberry.
It is the family 'Maginot Line'.
You can be on one side or the other.
Both of which are tasty.
Or so I'm made to understand.
But wander over to the other side in times of dire necessity, like when your server has run out of packets.
My Husby and I realized very early in our marriage that we needed to have a jar of each on the breakfast table.
His - strawberry. Mine - delicious.
Oops.
I mean - raspberry.
And, as our kids grew, they learned to take sides.
Mine.
Except for our second son, who is Switzerland.
And prefers apple jelly.
We don't talk about him.
Moving on . . .
Once the lines were duly drawn in the family nucleus, it was time to start challenging prospective additions [i.e. fiancé(e)s] to declare their preference.
I should point out here that it is a grueling test.
The nervous neophyte is seated at the breakfast table. The two jars are brought forward. The family waits, breathlessly.
And I do mean breathlessly.
If anyone takes their time making a choice, family members have been know to pass out cold.
I won't tell you what we do to them while unconscious.
Teeheehee.
But I digress . . .
The prospective member of the family makes a choice.
And my side cheers.
It's true.
Every single one has chosen raspberry.
Until our last son-in-law.
Who chose . . . poorly.
I maintain that he was coached.
Money might even have changed hands.
So the score now stands at : strawberry - two, raspberry - 10.
And one son who will not be mentioned.
Now for the next generation.
Our eldest granddaughter is eight.
Time to make a choice . . .


8 comments:

  1. Raspberry--to die for. We ate so many from the bushes it's a wonder mom had any left to jelly up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If I had to choose between the two it wold be raspberry every time...strawberry is sinewy and stringy and doesn't have the body of....oh well, I'm preaching to the choir here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As an Anonymous Husband, I must protest that this column is biased and prejudiced as written. Strawberry jam -- clearly the preferred choice of discriminating people of taste and class -- has not been treated with proper respect herein. So I launch my protest, Diane! Strawberry rules!
    Grant
    (oops! I mean . . . )
    Anonymous Husband With Good Taste

    ReplyDelete
  4. Diane, not only did I chuckle with this blog post, your husband's comment, oops! I mean, the Anonymous Husband With Good Tastes' comment also made giggle! I have to say I'm a raspberry fan but only if it's on toast. If, however, we're talking peanut butter and jelly, then it has to be strawberry jam! It's good the Son who is Switzerland is not spoken about. Apple, indeed! What is he thinking? hee hee! Great post as always! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh in my house I always buy raspberry and my husband complains and says why didn't you buy straw berry?

    Hard choice cause both are good. Raspberry is easier to spread.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That just leaves more strawberry for me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'll tell you what happens in the Tolley household if you: a) Pass out cold for whatever reason, or b)fall asleep during a movie or watching TV, or c) try to take an afternoon nap in the LazyBoy chair -- you wake up with pencils stuck in every available orifice of your face, including ears and nostrils. I have been a personal witness to/victim of this particular atrocity on many occasions. I submit this as evidence of the mind-damaging effects of eating obviously inferior raspberry jam.

    Grant
    (oop again! I mean . . . )
    Anonymous Abused Downtrodden Husband

    ReplyDelete
  8. There are more than two choices! Mine is melon, lemon and ginger!! And it's good - I've won prizes for it!!!

    ReplyDelete

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