It just looked and smelled so good. Pink, billowy, fluffy cotton candy. As it was being freshly spun in the huge tub, I couldn't stop my mouth from watering. I tried to talk myself out of buying it because I find it difficult to eat. My fingers and face get so sticky that after a few bites I'm left with sugary residue all over everything.
Some of our more delicious foods are just downright messy to eat; buttered corn on the cob, watermelon, ribs, peaches, filled pastries and so on. No matter how hard we might try, it seems inevitable that butter, juice, sauce or jelly will run down our face and fingers and cause a sticky, yet quite delicious, mess.
I don't attempt anything wrapped in a tortilla anymore. I cut it into pieces before I even start because I know that’s where I am going to end up. As for burgers, well, knowing the inevitable outcome doesn't stop me from adding toppings I know will squeeze out the sides of the bun on first bite and end up all over my mouth or plopping on the plate in front of me.
Ah … those wonderful foods associated with summer that squirt, splatter or spray all over. Our tongues might fight valiantly to catch the drips and streams of gooey goodness, but more often than not those dribbles end up on our cheeks and chin, or the back of our hand as we wipe away the errant mess.
Our youngest daughter was about eight years old when we were at a theme park sitting on the sidewalk just prior to a parade. While we waited, we got ice cream treats which had to be eaten quickly because they were melting pretty fast. After the parade we stood up to make our way to another area of the park when we saw the state of our eight-year-old. Her t-shirt and hands, shorts and legs were covered in melted ice cream. She was one sticky mess.
We headed to the closest bathroom to get her washed up and then to the park's shopping area to find her a new outfit—something her older sister, to this day, laughingly insists was part of her plan all along. As we talked about it later we asked why she didn't say something as her ice cream was melting all over her. With the biggest smile she said, "I was having too much fun."
I loved that. Too much fun to complain about being sticky. Too much fun to worry about stained clothes. Too much fun to stop what she was doing.
There is a lengthy list of foods people are cautioned to avoid on first dates. Tacos, pizza, wings, spaghetti, shellfish and burgers are said to be the most troublesome because they are hard to eat delicately and you won't look good in front of someone you are trying to impress. My thought? If you're a rib eater, let your date see you eat ribs. Why pretend?
It's like the comedian who was giving relationships a reality check and advised, "Don't even think about getting married until you've seen each other battle at least one bad flu." Don’t give the impression the only food you eat is what will keep you immaculately clean, if that's not the case. Getting real more quickly is better in the long run. Besides, wouldn’t we rather be with the person having too much fun, anyway?
We are in the months when we eat more of these ooey, gooey, drizzly, drippy meals and treats than at any other time. There's just something about good food, sunshine and outdoor eating that makes these delicious messes just so good. But I wonder what will make things taste the best—the fact that it is summer at its food gooiest or that we will once again be sitting around picnic tables and fire pits with the people that bring such flavor to our lives.
Think back on the past months for just a moment. What did you miss most? Your grandparent's comfy furniture? Your friend's high-end kitchen finishes? Not likely. We missed them—the people we love. So let's cherish being able to get back to people who won't care if we have sugar caked around our lips or sauce dripping down our fingers. It's all the more delicious when we can simply be with the people who want nothing more than to be with us. That's my outlook.
