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You are here: Home / Musings About Aging / Lard Sandwich Anyone?

Lard Sandwich Anyone?

March 19, 2013 By Gail 5 Comments

It seems never-ending.  “Experts” claim which foods are good for us and which are not.  Wait a short while and, like the weather in Minnesota, it all changes.

When I was young my grandmother told me her mom would pack her school lunch in a small bucket.  Mostly it was fresh baked bread smeared with pork lard, and maybe a cookie.  “If you were lucky there might be a tiny chunk of meat in the lard, but usually not. There was no refrigeration back then, so we preserved meat in crocks by pouring lard over the fried pork.  Mom would scoop out the lard for our sandwiches like people eat peanut butter now.”

I would shudder at the thought of eating a lard sandwich, but by time I was in grade school there was a cafeteria and hair-netted lunch ladies serving hot meals. I was safely removed from the realities of what I was eating and how it was prepared.  Or was I? At least Grandma knew the source of her food

I also remember my mom keeping a soup can near the stove in which to dump, and reuse, bacon fat.  However, she mostly used Crisco in her baking.  Which is better? Back then I would have said Crisco.  But now, knowing a bit more about the dangers of Trans fats, I would go with the bacon grease if I had to choose.  Here’s a YouTube address if you’d like to learn more about Trans fatty acids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp0nc4kY-tc

Another memory I have concerning grade school food involves a classmate named Rhoda.  She was a quiet girl, always wore homemade dresses, sturdy shoes, and a hairstyle that required nothing more than a scissors to cut a straight line.  I liked her, but never got the chance to know her.  Rhoda kept to herself.

Rumor had it her family was involved in a religion that didn’t believe in doctors or modern conveniences.  Like my grandmother, Rhoda brought her lunch to school.  It was usually wrapped in a bandana, and I can still see her carefully unfolding the cloth as she prepared to eat.  The teacher would encourage her to get a glass of milk—back then our school milk came from large stainless steel dispensers with rubber hoses.  The base of our “glass” was a plastic holder into which we’d put a disposable conical paper cup.  Think of a Madonna outfit with pointy paper bra cups and you’re close.  I’m not sure if there were cost issues because Rhoda was reluctant to get a glass of milk she hadn’t paid for.  The teacher would tell her it was okay, but Rhoda seemed uncomfortable as she sipped her milk.

My best friend and I observed that Rhoda’s usual lunch was a slab of homemade bread—usually dark bread—with butter, and a handful of raisons.  It seemed scanty at best and less than delicious at worst.  My BFF and I concocted a plan to bring food from home and offer it to her.  It went over about as well as the free milk.  She was cautiously accepting until I brought in a hamburger one day.  “I don’t eat pork,” she said quietly.  I was baffled for a moment.  “It’s not pork, it’s beef,” I said. “Then why did you say it was HAMburger?”  I thought she had a good point, but since I was only in the third or forth grade didn’t have a way of Googling the history of the term “hamburger.”  We stopped bringing her lunches, and she happily went back to eating her fresh baked bread.

All these years later I think about Rhoda and her lunches.  They were probably waaaaay healthier than what I was eating in the days of Wonder Bread and Kool Aid. I haven’t seen Rhoda since the sixth grade, but I bet she’s  doing just fine.  Hopefully she has maintained her real food lifestyle.  Me? I’m reconsidering those lard sandwiches and the fact my grandmother lived until she was almost 102.

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Filed Under: Musings About Aging

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Through my blog and website, I hope to share beauty, laughter, inspiration, aging & midlife lessons and advice on dealing with menopause. I will also devote time to integrative health and healing tips and news. I want feedback and questions because, while we may be sharing the journey, every woman has her own experience and her own story.

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Comments

  1. Claudia says

    March 24, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    My Grandpa ate 3 eggs, fried in butter, and bacon every morning of his life and lived well into his 80s. I used to try to educate him about how unhealthy his breakfast was. Today, after years of work with a wonderful nutritionist, I eat 3 eggs, friend in butter, and bacon almost every morning of my life and hope to live well into my 90s. Who was smarter?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoGail says

      March 25, 2013 at 12:41 am

      Hi Claudia!

      I hear you! And you didn’t mention your nutrition-based, whole food, diet has been a factor in your eighty-pound weight loss. It will be fabulous when you get your new website launched so everybody can hear about your success and healing. Always a pleasure to hear from you, my friend.

      🙂 Gail

      Reply
  2. Mark Mach says

    September 3, 2019 at 12:39 am

    Funny. This popped up on a search that I did because I wanted to know if lard sandwiches were actually a thing or just something that my mom made for me. She put a thick layer of lard, with a few chunks of browned fat, on a piece of white bread, salt heavily, and then sometimes sprinkle chopped onion on it.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoGail says

      September 12, 2019 at 9:46 pm

      I have never personally had one, but it is, or was, a thing! Thanks for sharing, Mark!

      Reply
  3. Ben N says

    September 25, 2020 at 10:13 pm

    Lard Sandwiches. My step mother said she grew up so poor that’s what she took for lunch when she was small. I gave her the side eye but told her I believed her. All these years later I find out she was right and others did so too. Ugh!

    Reply

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