Growing up, I was fortunate to have had four great grandparents and three grandparents in the same town as me. I spent a lot of time with my three grandparents: Grammy, Mimi and Pappy. I could write an entire book about my Mimi and Pappy but not tonight. This blog is for Grammy.
Grammy was a unique individual with a lot of love for her family, a love for traveling, flee markets, gaudy jewelry, dancing, happy hour when most of us are having a mid morning snack and she had a potty mouth. I am a lot like her. One particular quirk of hers, which could be attributed to growing up during the depression, was if something was “free” she would always take more than her share.
Any thing was open season; mini shampoos and soaps from hotels, jelly packets and mini catsup bottles from diners, coasters from pubs, etc. Now I know most of you are thinking “who doesn’t take the shampoo from the hotel?” Grammy didn’t just take the remaining shampoo that she already used during her stay. She would make sure that me, my sister, and our two cousins would hit up the maid cart every time it was in the hallway for fresh shampoos, toothpastes, etc. This is the same lady who would bring a special purse lined with gallon sized ziplock baggies to a buffet. Yes, you can say that she pushed the envelope.
A few years ago, my sister developed a plan for family style restaurants that would make Grammy proud. Our favorite family style restaurants are Carmine’s or Maggiano’s. Carmine’s in is NYC and Atlantic City and the nearest Maggiano’s is in King of Prussia. The system goes something like this: my sister plans ahead and brings a cooler on the trip and leaves it in the car or hotel room. She brings the cooler because we have devised a way to ensure that we have enough leftovers for at least four to six extra meals. and well, a bag just isn’t adequate when your talking about such a large quantity of food.
Recently, my husband and I joined my father and his lovely wife for lunch at a family style restaurant at the Carmine’s in AC. (My sister wasn’t with us, but you better believe I had a cooler. I was there for the weekend to celebrate halloween and experience three nights of Phish. The cooler was a must have.) So when it came time for our food to arrive, after having our fill and enjoying every bite of it, the four of us systematically divided the remaining amount of food from the “community” plate so we could ask for another round of food. That’s the beauty about family style restaurants, they keep bringing it out if you ask!
Of course we were all stuffed, but we couldn’t just leave a fresh plate of penne with vodka sauce or chicken parmesan untouched, we did just ask the waiter for it after all. We did what any person with a good conscious would do, we decided who would eat the obligatory bite. Then my father assigned me with the task of rearranging the food so it looked like we ate more than the obligatory bite. This rearranging of the food is an art form. It was one I perfected as a child and forgot about until my father reminded me of it on this lovely family luncheon.
When the meal was over, our obligatory bites consumed, left overs rearranged then boxed up we walked out of there with enough food to feed us and our sleeping friend at the hotel room for the next two days! I’m pretty sure some ethical lines were danced upon, but when you do it in memory of Grammy, it all seems ok. Mangia! Mangia!
