Snacks

If you’re not gonna share…

In 1973, the “New” school on Random Island opened. Originally called Random Island Integrated, its now called Random Island Academy. In Grade 11, I was part of the drama club that put off a, in pretty much everyones opinion, great play called Riverrun, semi based on a book of the same name about the Beothuks.  I am not sure, but I think the play may have been written by our teacher, Ray Budgell, but I could be wrong, that was 1982 after all.  I have great memories of it, and while we didn’t win anything at the festival, I will always feel we won in the court of public opinion, and look back fondly on our performance.

Some of our practices broke down into some riotous laughter for sure.  There was one day I could not keep a straight face at Evan Reid’s town crier saying Hear Ye, Hear Ye.  And one other practice where Virginia Smith said “Me fell down to me knees” or something like that.

I was also proud to be a member of the Crusader Basketball team in Grade 10. I was quite good at keeping that bench warm, and got to visit quite a number of places for tournaments.

Was lucky to be a bench warmer for some great players too, we went to the provincials that year, and if memory serves, missed out on the playoffs by score differential of 2 baskets. I have no illusions about my abilities, but I am happy I got to participate, and also look back on that fondly.

Our coach, Rod Nichol, was also our gym teacher, and our Biology teacher, and this particular memory relates to the latter.

Rod had a terrific sense of humour, I remember the correct answer to a multiple choice question “An example of osmosis is…” being Mork’s finger (Mork and Mindy for all you young whippersnappers, look it up).  Another great memory relates to the title.  Like all teens, we weren’t above sneaking a snack into the classroom, which of course wasn’t allowed, a rule enforced more by some teachers than others.  Well this one Biology class in Grade 10, Jennifer Adey had a bag of candy in class, and was caught eating them by Mr. Nichol (Rod). Of course he yelled at her, and promptly confiscated the candy.

But the funny part is instead of keeping them in the desk to give back later as was normal, he took the bag around the class and shared the candy with everyone but Jen! I don’t think there was one left at the end.  Well Jen, if you’re not gonna share…. see what happens?

Fruit chips ahoy!

Anyone that knows me reasonably well, knows that my favorite snack has to be chips.  Yes, I’m an unabashed chip-a-holic.  Growing up back home we had more brands than now, there were Lays yes, and Humpty Dumpty, but also Scotties (click the link for an image of those), and of course the big one of the time back home, Hostess.

Before the advent of the plastic bag we use now, chips came in these foil bags, we’d rip the top right off to get at them.  Often Hostess would have a contest, and we’d have to be careful ripping the top because the entry was printed right on the inside of the bag in this blue ink.  This ink also used to come off easily on your fingers, so I’m sure onto the chips as well…. yeah I’m sure that was good for me 🙂

Hostess also had these 3 … monsters? as mascots, they even had stuffed toy versions of them, I’m not sure if they had a name or not, but they showed up at all the events.

With a few exceptions (Dill Pickle, Ketchup (side note what ever happened to Catsup?)), I liked and like pretty much any kind of chips, but usually stick with the old standard “regular” or as they were and are known back home, plain. There were, however, three flavors released in the 70’s that even I couldn’t stomach.

I have a vivid recollection of them.  Going to the doctor in Clarenville was an adventure in patience as appointments had no real correlation with time as we know it.  I’m sure there’s a research paper about the effects of time dilation in medical clinics there somewhere.  The main medical office in Clarenville in those days was down on the lower road, and it had its own drug store (Budget Drug Mart I believe, though I’m not even sure it had a name then).  As a kid while waiting for an appointment I’d be up and down the stairs there a dozen times, looking at comics, wandering, alleviating boredom any way I could, often involving chips.  But for some reason, Hostess introduced Grape, Cherry, and Orange chips back then.  Being a chip-a-holic they all had to be tried.  But that was it.  I don’t think I could even finish a bag.  These had to be the most horrendous things ever produced as a snack!

And oddly, now I want a package, just to remind myself how bad they were.  Does anyone else remember these?  Anyone have a picture?!