Of Sausages And Snails And Smoked Squid
On the road…again!
Afghanistan to Zambia
Chronicles of a Footloose Forester
By Dick Pellek
Of Sausages and Snails and Smoked Squids
What we remember from the past as the best pizza; the best sub sandwiches; the best southern fried chicken; or any other dish we remember--is part of the suite of memories we guard as the individuals that we are. When it comes to favorite foods, there is no need to debate; and everyone is a winner. It doesn’t matter that the lapses into reverie are about savory sausages; or steamed snails; or smoked squid.
On the other hand, sometimes what we remember may be a figment of what we want to remember, and not necessarily verifiable fact that can be substantiated by evidence such as double-blind taste tests. We might wish to remember that Mom’s or Grandma’s home cooking is the best; always was the best; and always will be the best. But such thought is predicated on subjective judgment almost always based on virtually no meaningful comparisons. Frenchmen will tell you that their wine is unsurpassed in quality; until you show them the results of double-blind taste tests of winning American wines judged against French wines; and taste-tested by French judges.
Humans want to believe pleasant things from the past. Hardly anything is easier to contemplate and to accept than the pleasant thoughts of those things that gave our senses pleasure, comfort and sustenance. Our favorite foods are self-chosen gratifications; and each of us has chosen them without being told what to think, what criteria to use, or how to judge. We are individuals when it comes to choosing favorites and we are all winners; all the time. So when we drift off into daydreams, there is more to them than…. “let us speak of many things… of shoes and ships and sealing wax…of cabbages and kings…” We have the daydreams and fantasies of our youth; and they are real for us; all of us.
