What qualities do you share with your parents? For me, I have a lot in common with my late father, Al Spinner. He might be gone, but I carry his legacy in the form of his goofy sense of humor, love of music (although he dug AC/DC’s brand of rock more than I do), and love of snacks.
Mom also loved to snack, but her favorites were sadly not shared by her eldest daughter. On the sweet side of things, she was mad for all things black licorice—twists, jelly beans, and the like—and I absolutely could not stand the stuff. Her favorite Girl Scout cookie was hands down the cool, chocolately Thin Mints; I wouldn’t turn one down if you offered, but I would much rather munch on some Peanut Butter Patties. Then, she preferred her birthday cake on December 3 every year be chocolate on chocolate—when my special day rolls around, it’s yellow cake with vanilla buttercreme, please.
Now, let’s talk savory snacks. Mom was #TeamPotatoChips all the way—the woman could absolutely make a bag of the things disappear in one sitting without breaking a sweat. I don’t mind potato chips at all, but when it came to the one salty treat I couldn’t resist, I voted with my dad: pretzels.
If you’re also a child of the 1980s, you might remember Mister Salty, Nabisco’s pretzel brand. His stick figure and smiling, salt-speckled figure was a fixture in the Spinner household—twists or sticks, you could always find a package in our house. Sometimes he’d be classy and pour the pretzels into a bowl when starting a snack session—other times, he’d tote the box from the kitchen to the couch to mindlessly munch when watching Barney Miller or M*A*S*H reruns (two of his favorites). Sometimes I’d join him when he nibbled on the pretzels to watch a sitcom, or maybe a Bears game—though I grew up to be a Packer backer (sorry, Dad). Evidence of two common likes shared with my father—pretzels, and ink—can be spotted on my left arm, in the form of a pretzel tattoo. If you spot me at Sweets & Snacks or another event, stop me on the exhibit floor and I’ll show you, especially if you offer me a bag of the real thing in exchange.
