POWER LUNCHES

POWER LUNCHES

A spiced ham and American cheese hero [lettuce, tomato, and mayo] with a bag of WISE® plain potato chips, a NEHI® grape soda. This is what was for lunch once per week in the 1970’s.

This was our “Power Lunch”. We ran and played hard. We ran errands for our parents. Living in the inner city sometimes we had to go to the Laundromat to wash the blankets because they were too large for our washing machines.

Those hot summer days when I had to walk to the train station to save a fare, we used to budget out for our snacks. My parents gave me just enough money for carfare and a bag of “chips”. So we would walk half of the way going and back from the train station.  We lived in The Bronx. “Soundview” station on the #6 Pelham Bay line. Getting off the “el” [elevated subway]; one would have to wait for the BX 27 bus. This is what is called a two fare zone. We did well saving that second fare by walking.

Summer school lunches were made by us who had summer jobs [$1.65hr] nasty bologna sandwiches, fruit, hot milk. No one ate the lunch. Anyone was welcomed to the lunch, there was no judgment. If you wanted it, you got it. We knew of children that were hungrier than we were. They were poorer but as a child I did not understand this concept. Some days we all ate The Nasty Lunch.

Once per year I find myself strolling past the deli section staring at the “spiced ham” with fond memories of my childhood Power Lunch. Even though I introduced this to my children, they never appreciated the history of…”spiced ham-n-cheese hero”, WISE® plain potatoes chips and a NEHI® grape soda.