Friday, February 5, 2010

The Sky Is Falling. Send Milk & Bread.

Big time snow storm going on right now. Mark and I have our accumulation predictions: Mark says 13 inches, I say 9. We're at about 8 inches right now, with hours to go, looks like I may lose. I had my doubts about the whole snow storm prediction.
I get really cranky watching weather forecasts since they super-sensationalize anything and everything. I swear to you, the guy on the Weather Channel this evening described the precipitation as "something he likes to call 'jazz,' a mix of snow and rain" or something along those lines. Mark looked at me and asked, "Did he just say that?" Ya, please change the channel. Jazz.

Any, any, any time there is a prediction of snow here in our neck of the woods, in Western PA where it, ah, snows in the Winter, (I know! Weird!) there is an insane run on the grocery stores for milk and bread in the day prior to the predicted snowfall. Or maybe that's what happens everywhere before it snows?

But people LOVE to do it here. All conversation centers around the pending snow and inescapable epic battle all will face in their attempt to gather the life-sustaining manna of "milk & bread." The milk & bread will see you through. It's like the duct tape of all food. The WD-40 of your pantry.

Seriously, you couldn't get by on the freezerful of Hot Pockets for a couple days? Couldn't the 2 liter of Mountain Dew and fresh box of zebra cakes see you through in the highly unlikely case that you really, truly couldn't get to a store in a day or two?

I realize I'm biased. We can go weeks without fooling with a loaf of bread here, because we have spells where we just don't eat it. Our milk is purchased by the week's worth. So we're spoiled. And probably when people say "milk & bread" they're just speaking figuratively. Maybe not literally "milk & bread," but maybe just the little odds and ends they'd like to have around so they don't have to leave the house when it's cold and snowy.

Something along the lines of the survival gear I picked up today before heading home to dig in for the weekend: "beer & video games."

4 comments:

Amy said...

That is so funny--the duct tape of food! You are so right! It's like, are adults just downing the milk now or what?

And also, zebra cakes...yum.

Stay warm!

Annette said...

Mom and I were out there fighting the pre-storm crowds. But we were just on our regular, weekly jaunt.

It wasn't just the storm that had people's carts overflowing. They were shopping for their Superbowl parties, too. Like who cares??? The Steelers aren't playing...why have a party???

Amy said...

Much laughter in my snowbound kitchen induced by this post. "The manna of milk & bread" -- I had no idea people north of the Mason-Dixon line do that too. Went last week on my usual grocery day and discovered there was weather predicted. Who knew?? Everyone but me, apparently; the bread shelves were bare.

So I bought extra beer. ;)

gretchen said...

I can't decide if I should be sorry for you that you have all that snow or jealous of you that you have all that snow!