Thursday, October 22, 2009

That's Bologna!

Saturday, October 24 is National Bologna Day!

I'd consider passing right over this holiday, but bologna actually conjures up a fond childhood memory for me.

To me, my mother was magical. Her Halloween costumes were the talk of the town, our Christmas trees looked like they belonged in magazines, we went to school impeccably dressed, and yes, even bologna could be turned from rags to riches under my mother's supervision. Or, so it seemed to me.

Bologna sandwiches were not regular fare in the Kamhi household, but every once in a while on a hot summer day or, accompanied with soup, on a cold rainy day, my mother would roll cottage cheese in a slice of bologna.Somehow it seemed fancier and more sophisticated than a few pieces of bologna slapped between slices of white bread. It wasn't, really. It was my image of my mother - magical, imaginative, glamorous, and sophisticated - imposed on something as simple as her bologna recipe.

Funny what we remember, isn't it?

So how 'bout it? This Saturday take a stroll down memory lane and purchase some bologna. Use it to make a smiley face; eat it with some white bread; roll some cottage cheese inside; or create your own recipe.

If you have friends, they will thank you for the slice of nostalgia. If you have kids you could be making a memory that, in their eyes, will forever make you...
Consider sending a photograph of you at your National Bologna Day celebration. Email it to info@highlowaha.com and we will post a slide show on Sunday.

Signing off until tomorrow...

12 comments:

heather said...

Bologna day? Seriously?!? The only thing worse than meat is non-meat that tries to pretend to be meat (bologna and hot dogs)!

That's my vegetarian response to this meaty post.

But I do appreciate that your mother made the ordinary seem extraordinary by putting cottage cheese in bologna...my Mom's version was cream cheese in salami.

Katie said...

The boys look like they had fun with that!!! And I love the SHINE bologna.

My dad ate bologna sandwiches every day for lunch growing up. I can still picture it every day. Funny thing is, none of us ever acquired a taste for it.

My favorite thing my mom did (and these still fly like hot cakes when she makes them for us) is roll cream cheese into salami. Mmmmmmmm.

Kat said...

I haven't had bologna in years! I have fond memories of peeling off that red plastic that goes around it before I made my sandwich.

Balogna Struble said...

Saturday is also the SMU national watching day (football, Go Mustangs).

Heather- I understand the assumption of non-meat, but please read that the first ingredient in most bologna is BEEF, which is still a meat for a lot meat eaters. The assumption of random items make this treat may have been true many decades ago, is now a tall tale (or tail in this case).

Growing up the sandwich was with cheese and mayo. Make it special by frying it first, which will make the health nuts choke on their soy lattes.

Peggy said...

Old Fashion loaf was my sandwhich staple, little mayo, wonder bread.... chips, chocolate milk and a homemade cookie! Yum-o!

My memory is the sun beating down into our kitchen and my mom pulling down the shade and at 12 noon the radio was on, listening to Paul Harvey.... done by 12:15.... Good Day!!!

PS I don't think creme cheese ever came into our house until I left for college.... I don't think she knew what to do with it!

Cheryl Houston said...

Oh, Bologna. Kat beat me to peeling off the red plastic off the edge. As a kid mine was with cheese, Miracle Whip and chips. Chips IN the sandwich, not next to it on the plate.

Sorry Claudia. National Day or not. My boys would look at me like I was crazy if I served them up bologna. And, bleh! As an adult- no thank you. You get extra points with that Bologna Decoration. Maybe HLA can have a Bologna Art Contest. Ew.

Cheryl Houston said...

One more thing....

Do you say:

/Ba-lo-na/
or
/Ba-lo-nee/?

beekayroot said...

I have fond memories of bologna... We never had a lot of money floating around my house as a child, and bologna was - and still is - one of the cheapest lunch meets you can buy. We ate it frequently.

I don't really have any specifics... We were pretty typical. Bologna, bread, and ketchup for me. If I was lucky, a slice of cheese, too!

I'm more of a turkey guy myself, but I don't mind bologna as much as some people do.

heather said...

Cheryl I say
Ba-low-nee


And Matt rest at ease...in my younger days (MUCH YOUNGER) I experienced a fried bologna sandwich.

Jessie Freeman said...

I have to agree with Heather on this post. I am not a vegetarian but, when I was growing up I think I ate my quota of Bologna (and hot dogs) so I would never have to eat it again.
We used to take the bologna and put a piece of cheese on it the roll it up and make a bologna taco. Haven't done since I was about 12.
I also pronounce it ba-lo-nee.
Happy bologna day to those of you who participate, I will gladly warm the bench for this one.

Kate said...

I learn something new every single day from highlowaha. I love it!

I'm not a huge bologna fan nor did I eat it much growing up. However, I did just win some free food from Hardees off the radio. One of the items I can get is their new fried bologna breakfast sandwich. I'm not sure that I'll ever use that coupon because it doesn't sound appetizing to me. Although, around here, I'm sure it's a popular sandwich. In all fairness, I can't pass judgment on it until I taste it!

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