Paprika Memories

Are you ever going along on a normal day, just like hundreds of other days and have a memory strike you so full, so all encompassing as to leave you almost stunned.

This happened to me recently. What was the cause? Remarkably it was Paprika. For some recipe my wife had needed paprika and as dinner commenced the shaker was still on the table. As I spooned up my mashed potatoes I glanced at the paprika and then it all came back.

My parents would go out to dinner occasionally when I was little. We certainly did not go much, but when we did we would often go to a restaurant on Verona Island, I believe it was called Millets.

I would always order the chicken, no nuggets in those days, you got a leg and a thigh. With this dinner would come mashed potatoes and a vegetable of course. The potatoes came with paprika on them. I do not know why. Perhaps to dress it up. For a country kid this was something special. I convinced myself those potatoes tasted better than any in the world.

My Dad would usually order veal and have a whiskey and ginger. I can still see him sitting there in his going out to dinner shirt, which was some relic of the seventies a patterned button up shirt. I actually can remember when my Dad got a suit, and it was called a leisure suit. The seventies sure did rock.

Looking at that paprika container on the table it all came rushing back. Like it was yesterday. I picked up the container and put some on my mashed potatoes here in 2012. It really did make them taste better, but not as good as they did when I ate them with my Mom and Dad.