Peanut Butter

My daughter couldn't bring peanut butter to school last year.
No peanuts, or any nuts, for that matter.
You'd think she wanted to bring ricin or anthrax into the place for God's sake.
The kid just wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

I mean really, I agree with limiting oil drilling in the Gulf.
It makes sense to limit the amount of soda and high fructose corn syrup
that goes into the kids in their drinks by removing the soda machines.
But when  you take away a staple of the american kid's diet,
peanut butter and jelly, its time to re-design the flag and
re-define what growing up means.

I love to cook.   My first (non-stove) experimentation with cooking,
er, food preparation was around 4 or 5 when my mom allowed those jars
of jelly and peanut butter to be handled by my inexperienced hands.
The butter knife went in, I'm sure it went all over the place:  the counter,
my hands, my clothes ... that's not the point.
The freedom I remember to this day, of making my own meal, was akin
to the freedom you feel when you first ride a bike and realize you have
a mode of transportation other than you feet ... that can take you further, faster.
That's what I remember about my first p.b. & j. ... that feeling of
"can do" and "Freedom" that came with providing for yourself.
It's one of the most vivid memories I have of growing up ...

It's peanut butter jelly time!

m.