holy gushers!
So I recently told my mom that I was really missing the most odd food from home. It’s been eight months since I came here, since I’ve been on US soil, since I’ve eaten a proper taco or oreo. But my nostalgia went a little further back than eight months and so I asked her if she could send me a few things that she found that would give me a little flavor of the home front. And she came through for me in flying colors.
Exhibit A:
it was like lifting an angel from a bed of white lilies
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
dreams do come true
Exhibit D:
what's a Midgee?
Some of these things I would never eat at home. Never did. But for some reason I was insane with missing them since I got here. Clam chowder. Cheese crackers. Vegetarian re-fried beans? I had to laugh at the fruit roll-ups and gushers. My dad used to buy my brother and I gushers and put them in our lunches every day for like seven years until we had to have an intervention about the gusher-buying via my mom. I haven’t seen a gusher since, until now! I didn’t even know they still made them. God bless you Betty Crocker.
I made the Mac&Cheese two nights ago for dinner. Of course Györgyi had never had it before, but can anyone really dislike it? The hypnotic mixture of powdered cheese and butter and milk? We’ll see how she reacts to the tropical fruit gusher today.
And of course I have to thank my mom for all of this. She really is the best. And on top of all of the great goodies inside, there was a really typical Mary Jewell addition, which she added unknowingly to the box.
Exhibit F: The label:
Look at how efficiently and honestly she recorded the contents of the box on the customs form. I can imagine her there at the post office taking the inventory in her mind and then writing with those Catholic school printing letters: Soup, Candy, Crackers, Cookies. If it were me I would have written something like “gift” or “food”. But that’s why I love her. And of course I was smiling way before I even opened the package. Thank you so much Mom!
b u d a j e s t 
Thank you so much, Mary!
This blog post made me cry. You are soooooo welcome. I loved the pictures and it is so rewarding to know that you appreciate it so much. Love you.
Praise Jesus! You got a taco kit! I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Nobody should have to live without tacos.
oh, now i’m hungry looking at all this american food. the only thing missing is mcdonald’s fish sandwiches. they’re 2 for $3.33 because it’s Lent.
miss you.
Mom–You’re always amazing in these ways, and it’s just all the more sweeter now that I’m away (and haven’t had a proper taco in ages) 🙂 !!!
Ha! Brian, I know. I will never forget the look of pure dread that swept across your face in Dublin when you heard that I hadn’t had Mexican food in six months. You can finally rest easy. Ortega has arrived. hehe.