Husky Things

In the 1970s every chubby kid I knew dreaded the word "husky." Husky fit clothing and Big Yank corduroys did not replace for fashion forward Garanimals. Photos of myself at age 6 or 7 show a normal looking girl. But I was a fleshy kid born to a family of tall slender folks.

All of my sisters had a competitive spirit when it came to eating: they fought over who could eat the most hot dogs, most peanut butter, most ice cream, most popcorn. My oldest sister could eat half a dozen burgers or tacos in one sitting, washed down with a chocolate malt or root beer float, and still easily fit into her danceline costumes. But Mom had me on a steady diet of Diet Shasta and no sweets, except on Saturday mornings when sugar cereal reigned. I made up for all that deprivation with bottomless bowls of Sugar Smacks and Apple Jacks while lost in an endless stream of Hong Kong Phooey and H.R. Pufnstuf.

When General Mills announces their annual release of old monster cereal favorites like Franken Berry and Count Chocula, I grab my cereal bowl and stock up on milk. Over at Called to the Table today I recall those Saturday mornings of sugar cereal and cartoons, ponder the possibility adding Ghoulish Ground Cherry (a member of the "husk tomato" family) to the monster cereal feast, and throw in a recipe for Quick Pickled Ground Cherries.