Got milk…and bread?
By Heather Brush, filling in for Lindsey.
Snow is forecast for the weekend and folks will be making stops on the way home from work for needed items. Me? I need a snow shovel and cat food. But the rush I’m talking about is the run on milk and bread I see every time the hint of snow is in the air. You know how it is…everyone runs out for these items and the stores get mobbed. (Good for them!)
Growing up in New York on Long Island, I don’t recall there being any items in particular that people would make a snow run for. I also lived in Vermont for a number of years and while we didn’t rush to the grocery with every snow prediction (We’d have been there every day for months) when a “big one” was forecast, folks would make sure they had Ritz crackers and peanut butter. It’s weird how different items are habits in different areas.
I do like to have hot chocolate with marshmallows on hand for my kids, coming in out of the snow, and I hold a tradition of making chocolate chip cookies with the first snow fall of the year. But I won’t go into the throngs of bread and milk buyers to have them tomorrow. Call me a Scrooge.
Talking with friends and joking over the habits of people, we admitted to the greater likelihood that a before-snowfall-beer-run would be in order, or a visit to the wine aisle. Of course parents of young ones need diapers and formula; parents of teens need pizza rolls and soda, but in reality, is there any item from the grocery store you just can’t live without for a couple of days?
Let me know! I’ll stay out of your way this evening.
December 18, 2009 - 11:10 AM
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I’m getting cat food (top priority) and beer (2nd priority). I will probably also get some additional food items, but we’re well stocked in that department already from regular shopping. We also have a store of candle, lamp oil, batteries, flashlights, and a load of firewood…and a 3/4 full tank of propane on the grill if need be. I think we’re as ready as we can be! But if I forget the cat food, I may not make it out of the house alive…lol.
I like to make chicken and dumplings when it snows. I joined everybody and his brother at the Tanglewood Kroger yesterday to get myself a chicken. As long as the power doesn’t go out, I’m ready.
I’ve always wondered why people feel the need to run out and buy 5-6 gallons of milk and so much bread. Funny you mention Ritz crackers and peanut butter. I’m well stocked on both.
Mmmm…Milk sandwiches!
Seriously, what are those people doing with all that milk and bread? I picked up some eggs and milk (because we drink it with ever meal) and I’m making my boyfriend grab some sugar and flour as I plan on baking a lot of cookies this weekend (as long as the power doesn’t go out).
I went to Kroger 2 times today. But I was out of milk and bread! I also picked up some things to do some baking. If I’m going to be stuck at home, I will have time to bake and make fudge.
I must have chocolate in the house and cake mix is a must. But while everyone was distracted by the bread and milk frenzy, I made it to Toys R Us & scored a few much desired Zhu Zhu pets. So this year, wrapping paper is a must before the snow fall.
My guess as to the cause of the Milk/Bread runs goes as follows…
Since it’s still an ‘event’ when a measurable snow occurs here in SWVa, people want to make sure to stock up for the following foods – ‘snow cream’ which needs a dash of milk and an egg if you are not afraid, milk for breakfast cereal for the kids (Captain Crunch RULES!), milk for the hot (sometimes instant) oatmeal for the kids when they come back in from playing in the snow. Nothing warms you inside like a bowl of oatmeal (with brown sugar & cinnamon!). Also, milk to accompany the cookies you make for them to get them to stop screaming ‘It’s STILL SNOWING!!!’ Some other examples are available too, but that suffices.
Bread? Sandwiches of course, the best option is for grilled cheese with some (overly salty) Campbell’s tomato soup. Mmm, mmm, good. Right? The heels are broken up and tossed out for the birds, in the hopes of attracting a cardinal or two. Toast in the morning, buttered and with homemade raspberry jelly, your mom did it this summer when you were playing outside. Then after breakfast you run outside to go sledding. At night, you had spaghetti, and the bread came with JIF peanut butter – different, but certainly filling.
In the mean time, when mom isn’t cooking herself to death pleasing you, she’s drying out your clothes when you come back inside, by hanging them on a wooden rack placed near the fireplace. It seemed like we’d make 3-4 wardrobe changes during a day of playing in the snow. Wranglers take a LONG time to dry out, trust me…
In my memories, it seems like we got 4-5 snows that were a foot deep every winter, but that just goes to show how special they were to me. Now, if there’s enough snow to cover the grass, I’m just happy to be inside with electricity and a full fridge. Enjoy this one, folks, it’s rare. REALLY rare.
I think I’ll get up early tomorrow and make some oatmeal, before I have to go shovel my driveway. I bought the brown sugar earlier this week, just in case…
I know the above scenario sounds like a reprisal from ‘Christmas Story’, but people really did all that stuff back in the day…
OJ, thats exactly what I picked up from Sams Club!!! cat food and Yuengling! (i did grab some beef too, making chili tomorrow!)
I don’t know what everyone else is doing but I’ve got a 15 month old that subsists mainly on whole milk and grilled cheese sandwiches, so yes, I was one of those at the store buying milk and bread.
Sara, I hope you take the time to go out and drag your young one around the yard in the snow, just a little bit. I can still remember the time I took my ‘special daughter’ out in her first deep snow, and towed her on a sled. It was exhausting, and very cold, but she survived the fifteen minutes of glory. We also still have video & pics of the event, and it’s a bonding moment, decades later.
Treasure the moments, folks!
O. J. you drinking beer? sounds like a good weekend
Ramen noodles and chive sour cream!
Beef stew was pretty good, but mom lacks in the use of herbs and spices.. And veggies are cooked to mush, but it was edible. And filling, so who’s to argue?
I tossed a few in the snow and each time I cleared the deck, I grabbed one. I should have thought it through better, I had to clear the deck a half dozen times Friday night into early Saturday. By the time I was done, I had zig-zag shovel marks on my back deck where I cleared out so I could get to my grill.