Mad and Cheese

Reads: 18 | Likes: 0 | Shelves: 0 | Comments: 0

I have not spoken to my grandmother in several years. She is immensely mentally ill and it's not safe to reunite, but I think about her every day. She gave me a fun childhood and even cooked for me, which she hardly did for herself. I think somehow, I was helping her through her bad times.
My favorite meals of hers were Mickey Mouse pancakes and her mac and cheese. While her mac and cheese was good, it didn't have a lot of flavor because we grew up poor. My mom told me about this one time she attempted to make potato soup, but it ended up as potatoes in a milk broth.

Mad and Cheese - Prose

My favorite meals of hers were Mickey Mouse pancakes and her mac and cheese. While her mac and cheese was good, it didn't have a lot of flavor because we grew up poor. My mom told me about this one time she attempted to make potato soup, but it ended up as potatoes in a milk broth. It's an endearing story until you peek behind the curtain, but that's not today's story.

My entire life I felt a mild amount of inspiration from my time with my grandmother. She did her best to nurture me, resulting in the only memories from my childhood. I feel in some way I'm still in Springfield with her, hearing about the time she tried ordering from a drive-through, but was just yelling at the trashcan.

Theme: It’s okay if your past is bittersweet.

I wash my hands

that icy bathroom dribble

and water-filled soap

Grandma knew how to fix something

or spread that buttery dollar

but there's one thing she’d never leave:

Her baked mac and cheese

Seasonings? Who needs ‘em

Milky noodles on a tray!

Crunchy breadcrumbs the cherry on top

I never loved Grandma’s food but