That Little Soup Packet

Many long years ago, in Oak Park, Illinois, we lived in a place that had what would be called neighborhood schools.  Basically, that meant that everyone who lived within the school boundaries would go to that particular school, and the school was within walking distance.  In Oak Park, we lived only three blocks from Oliver Wendell Holmes School, where my brother and I attended.

Because it was a neighborhood school, and because (in those days) someone was expected to be at home to supervise the children, there was no school cafeteria, nor was there a bus system.  Students walked to school in the morning, back home for lunch, then back to school for the afternoon...then home for the day.

I became a student at Holmes School at the beginning of 6th grade.  (It was a K-8 school.)  That meant that, for three years, I walked home for lunch.  I had a stay-at-home mother (and a younger brother, although I really don't remember our eating lunch together).  So what did we have for lunch?
Funny you should ask!  In most situations, I wouldn't remember, but I DID remember some of my lunches at home during this time: soup and a sandwich.

Most of the soups that I remember came from the Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup packet.  It was easy for Mom, and delightful for me.  Along with that would normally be something like a grilled cheese sandwich or--which was my favorite--cinnamon toast.  Mom's cinnamon toast was like no other.  She buttered the bread, then put cinnamon and sugar on it, and put it under the broiler.  OMG!  It was good!  The butter/sugar/cinnamon combination made a crust on top of the bread.  I have never been able to replicate it.

Two days ago, I was at the store and decided to buy some of the Lipton soups of my past.  Somehow, they don't seem to remind me of those happy days, but how much different can they be?  I think the difference is the love.  My mommy was taking care of me at lunch.  That's all that mattered.