NEW HOMES, NEW FOODS

One question I dread answering is “Where did you grow
up?” I spent my growing up years moving around a lot.
I moved nine times by the time I got to high school.
I wasn’t a military brat. My father’s job required him to
transfer frequently.
While I didn’t enjoy being the new kid in school – seven
schools by high school – I do have fond memories of different
foods in new locations.
My earliest good food memory is the Good Humor ice
cream truck coming down my street when we lived in
Baltimore, Maryland.
My favorite popsicle flavor was vanilla. The strange
thing about this is I’ve never been able to find anyone
else my age who remembers this particular treat.
I probably should Google it. Or ask my best friend Siri
. . .
My family’s next move was to South Carolina. That
was where I discovered another frozen treat, the Zesto.
This was a swirled soft serve ice cream cone that was
dipped in a chocolate coating. The time was the early
1950s.
I never saw the Zesto anywhere else. But years later I
found something very similar at Dairy Queen.
Our next move took us to New York State where,
strange to say, I can’t remember any favorite new food.
But fortunately, our next move took us back to Maryland
again and another wonderful new food, one the state is
famous for.
It was crab soup, made with fresh crabs, and I loved
it from the first spoonful. We were lucky to have a restaurant
a few blocks from our new home that had this on
its daily menu.
I miss that soup to this day!
Our next move was back to New York (same town),
where I still don’t recall any special favorite food.
Sorry, New York, that’s just how I remember it.
Luckily for me, I went to college in New Orleans, the
city that invented great food: gumbo and French doughnuts
(beignets), just to name two.
As an adult, I came to Texas – first San Antonio and
then here to Texas City.
San Antonio has some of the best Mexican food I’ve
ever tasted.
As for Galveston County, we have truly wonderful fish
and seafood. It’s fresh and delicious and has its own
unique taste.
Thank you for letting me share these culinary memories
with you.
Now I need to Google that Zesto cone. Maybe I can
find someplace that still makes it . . .