Spaghetti-Oh's

Spaghetti-Oh's with meatballs were a weekly staple in my diet all through childhood. I would eat a can of them and then eat an orange, and I'd even drink soda after that. Somehow, it all managed to stay down. I can't move too suddenly these days after drinking pop or eating anything with tomatoes or oranges.

Tonight, I ate a can, but they were alphabet Spaghetti-Oh's-the new fangled kind. They don't quite taste the same as the pasta rings, but I suppose they were pretty good. I haven't had a can of them in months. We just got back from a two week holiday furlough, and there isn't much food in the house. Neither my husband nor myself has the energy to even cook, much less go shopping for real food. Hence the Spaghetti-Oh's. My husband ended up with ravioli out of a can.

I remember one summer visiting my older cousin. We stayed at home all day while his mom was at work. We were watching television., and around lunch time, he returned from the kitchen with an open can of Spaghetti-Oh's and with a spoon handle sticking out of the top. I am a Spaghetti-Oh's snob, and I couldn't believe that he found this to be an acceptable way to eat them. In fact, he rather enjoyed them served cold. I still don't understand that to this day.

Daddy always said that if we got really poor, he would be forced to buy me generic Spaghetti-Oh's, and I always adamantly refused even the admittance of such of a suggestion in my presence. It was horrible to think of eating anything but Franco-American Spaghetti-Oh's with meatballs. Other times, Mama would accidentally come home with the hot dog kind or the plain kind with no meat at all. I'd throw the hugest fit, but I'd end up having to eat them anyway. Sometimes, the can might sit on the shelf for ages, a staring contest raging between the happy O on the front of the can and me.

And, finally, Spaghetti-Oh's that are heated to boiling are never that good. The tomato sauce thickens, and it gets kind of goopy on top. The bowl never seems to cool, and you scald your mouth on meatballs, unable to taste any of the happiness that is the direct result of over one thousand grams of sodium per can.

One time, there was a Spaghetti-Oh's label that had holographic paper. This seemed to me to be a limited time deal, and I think there was a game, or something printed on the back. You were supposed to peel the label off for some reason. So, I did just that, and I liked the holographic paper so much that I kept it. I believe I found it in my hope chest some years later.

So, Spaghetti-Oh's should be an integral part of any child's upbringing. They promote family bonding time, cooking lessons, and the old waste not, want not adage. Buy a can today, watch your thirst levels rise with your increased salt intake, and share some with the kids.

Make sure you have the right kind, though, and don't let it boil over. Spaghetti-Oh's are best eaten with a towel underneath to protect tables, carpet, couch arms, or whatever surface they are being eaten over. The sauce does NOT come out of fabric easily at all. So, be forewarned. I've spilled Oh's everywhere, and I've been quite unsuccessful at removing their stains.