life on the funny farm

i went home this past weekend. more affectionately referred to as the funny farm. i know everyone says that their family is weird, but if you could find someone to make a movie detailing holidays, they'd have an elective group of characters.

one of the most interesting characters of all would be my grandmother. she's very rigid. i don't mean that in a mean way. she would probably agree. she's a grandmother, she's old, and she believes her way is the best way. most people do, but at least my grandmother is comic relief when she steps in.

there's this place in texarkana that i like to eat. no, love to eat. it's this cafeteria in texarkana that might have the best food on earth. i've ordered the same food at this place for maybe the past 18 years of my life. maybe longer, but that's as long as i can remember. this place is a cafeteria and it is so close to my heart/stomach that i can not eat in any other cafeterias. i think i've only ventured away once to eat at luby's and that was a mistake that will never happen again.

so on saturday i needed to go there, because there would be no other chance for me to go. so i tell my grandmother that i'm going to go there for lunch. she says, "well i'm about to make up some pimento cheese, you can just make a sandwich." appaled at the idea i say, "no, i'm eating at bryces." she says, "well i just don't understand why you can't just eat here and have a pimento cheese sandwich." BECAUSE i can't. because even if you serve me a sandwich behind the counter and i put it on a tray and slide it down the counter and go sit at a table and unload my food and a black person comes by to collect the tray...it still won't be the same.

so i went. i changed up my menu a little...i ordered roast beef, squash and broccoli with a wheat roll and chocolate pie. i typically get roast beef mashed potatos and black eyed peas with a white roll and chocolate pie. since my mom got potatoes and black eyed peas i just shared with her.

then saturday afternoon i decided to make a chocolate italian creme cake from scratch. how delicious does that sound. i even made the icing from scratch. heaven. so of course my grandmother says, "i don't know why you didn't just make it out of the box. it won't take as long and it will taste much better." and she refused to taste my icing, because it's always better out of the can.

bless her. i love her.