The last time I was in the grocery store, as I was passing the bread section, I realized that I have had a craving for rye bread. Now, it just wasn't/isn't ANY rye bread--it is a certain rye bread that I remember from childhood and it was made by a local bakery that went out of business many, many years ago. I did buy some bread that I thought would pass for what I really wanted, but it just wasn't the same. And so the search will continue...
This search for rye bread lead me to take a walk down memory lane. When I was growing up, we had several local bakeries that made some of the most marvelous stuff. (Where ARE the local bakeries, by the way? They seem to have gone away, never to return.) Along with great bread, I remember bakery to die for. I will never forget the cream-filled bismarks--UNBELIEVABLE! They looked something like this:
They were a wonderful fried pastry, filled with the greatest white cream in the world. (This filling was like what Twinkies had before they were slightly 'healthified' years ago--only better!) And then they were dusted with powdered sugar. HEAVEN! And I would always check out each bismark in the package and try to pick the one with the most filling, because that was the best part.
*A story: One day my crochety old aunt and uncle went to visit The Mother during the day. As was the custom back home--and still is, to a certain extent--coffee was made and bakery was put out to go along with it. The Aunt examined each one of the bismarks that were put on the plate so she could be assured of getting the one with the most filling. She dove into the pastry with a whole lot of gusto, waiting for that wonderful, creamy sweetness that she was anticipating. She took a bite, then another, and then another. She ate the entire thing and found not one drop of cream in it! She DID find the humor in the situation and even commented how it served her right for trying to be greedy. :)*
One thing I remember about one of the bakeries was the van that came around the neighborhood. This ended when I was very young, but it is something I will never forget. The bakery itself was based 20 miles away from where we lived and the products were able to be purchased at the local grocery stores. But there were still enough people who didn't drive or couldn't get to 'town' often enough, so the bakery sent the van out every day. It was very similar to milk delivery--one day a week you could be assured that the van would come by the house and you could buy what you wanted. I was probably four years old the day we were at my great-grandmother's house and we went out to the van to pick the bakery for the week. I was in awe when the driver opened the back doors of the van and I saw the racks of trays just filled with every kind of pastry imaginable. While I would LOVE to have a bakery van come by the house on a regular basis, I'm also grateful this is no longer happening--I have enough trouble with my weight, as it is. :D But it certainly would be a dream come true.
