07/27/2026
The origins of Grandpa Po’s Originals (aka Nutra Nuts) appears in this chapter in “A Cup of Tea on the Commode.” The full story and more will be revealed in my follow-up memoir “Slightly Unsalted.” Stay tuned.
Better Than Food
Aside from my father’s corny jokes and avoiding Mom’s shopping marathons, most of our family traditions revolved around food. Dad was clever. He hid his lack of culinary skills by entertaining the troops. His show magically made everything he cooked up taste better. When serving his creations, he often proclaimed them “Better than food.” And who were we to disagree?
His crazy-shaped pancakes always delighted, as did his orange, olive, and maraschino cherry salad—even with those salty anchovies mixed in. Dad roasted chestnuts all year long, and could satisfy the six of us with a single pomegranate. His made-from-leftovers spaghetti sauces and soups—which he called “Baseball Zoup” during baseball season—were weekly staples. He introduced us to lentils (yay), but also liver and onions (yuck). He made an art out of taking day-old corn on the cob, peeling off one row at a time, distributing whole kernels into our eager hands. All that was left was a perfectly clean cob, which, of course, went right into the compost heap. He stuffed ice cream cones with cold mashed potatoes that never melted on a sweltering summer day. We all joined in on the Coconut Toss, where we threw one, drained of its juices, down the basement steps until we heard that magical sound—crack! It didn’t take long after for us to stuff ourselves silly with every morsel of white meat.
To read the full chapter, click the link in the comments. Enjoy!
