I came across a shelf of Lunchables in the cold section of my local corner store today, and it was like a flashback to 1st grade. Do you remember those? Bright yellow cardboard boxes with flashy writing proclaiming the covetous contents: turkey or ham and cheese cracker-stackers, and later, the pizza, nachos, chicken nuggets and mini hotdogs and hamburgers. And as if that weren't enough, it came with a drink (usually the ever-desirable Capri-Sun) and candy too! All inside a little box!
As a youngster, I loved Lunchables. My parents rarely let me have them, so a day when I could take a Lunchable to school (or even just eat one at home) was a special day indeed...a treat, if you will. A Lunchable could brighten the very worst of days. And the times when I didn't have one? I would enviously watch the other children who were lucky enough (or so I believed) t0 have a Lunchable most days of their childhoods.
But something I didn't realize then was what my parents (specifically my mother) were trying to do. They knew that behind the excitable packaging and miniaturized delights of Lunchables lay a world of detrimental preservatives and calories and sodium and so much more. They tried, with a fair amount of success, to keep me embedded in the world of home-cooked, healthier foods for as long as possible. And I believe that my mother packed my lunch each day with care and love, something that I oft disregarded (out of youthful rebellion and ignorance) by spitefully discarding my sandwich (and god forbid that she packed ethnic food, because I often felt embarrassed by my little tupperware box with rice and curry when my friends all had ham and cheese sandwiches with crustless white bread).
My mother doesn't pack lunches for me anymore, because I am grown and live away from home. I now eat food that is usually low in nutrients and flavor and high in everything that's bad for you, and I miss everything my mother used to make. I wish I hadn't thrown away all of those sandwiches and little packs of chutney and rice and dal. And I sure wish that I hadn't bought a Lunchable from the corner store, because it reminded me how much I miss some aspects of home.
1 comment:
That is so funny! I had almost the exact same experience when I was in elementary school. My parents never bought me Lunchables, no matter how much I protested. I would always trade some of my lunch with someone else just so I could try the goodness that I thought prepackaged lunch had to offer. Looking back it makes sense that I, with my homemade sandwiches, Kool-Aid, and maybe an apple for good measure, was truly the lucky one.
I like this post.
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