Sometimes,
upon coming to the table for dinner, Dad would look at all the food
and say “that looks good enough to eat,” which, of course,
is an expression that other people might say when describing
something other than food. And if one of us cleaned our plate
faster than everyone else, Dad would look at the empty plate and then
at the child and say “couldn't stand the sight of it, eh?”
which again was silly because can't stand the sight of something
is to not like, but if the food is all gone it would be because the
person liked it a lot and/or was hungry.
 |
| Look them over real good |
Other
dinnertime conversation gems:
“What
are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“How
will you know when you are done?”
“What
are you doing?”
“Thinking,”
“Oh
you shouldn't do that, you are not good at it.”
“What
do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“Well
you got plenty of it.”
If
Mom got up from the table to get something from the stove or
refrigerator or whatever, Dad's eyes would follow her, and he would
say to my brothers, “You gotta look them over real good before
you marry them, Boys,” or “She's lucky she found a man,”
or, our favorite, “After ten years, men should be offered
renewable options.”
I
can remember times when I had a cold and looked as miserable as I
felt. Dad, with his own inimitable brand of sympathy would say, “time
to put you in a Hefty bag and set you out by the curb for the garbage
man.” Hefty is a brand of plastic garbage sack. And as harsh as
this quote sounds, I have discovered in the years since my youth,
when I have said the same thing to my children or husband, that it
really does mean that I care about her or his suffering!
 |
| The barn across the yard |
And
yet other philosophies - “there is no such thing as a little
plaster dust,” how true is that – I can't even imagine a
little bit of plaster dust! Or “nothing is easier than electricity
– it is just a closed loop” - Dad said this after the report of
someone having been accidentally electrocuted at Bethlehem Steel one
day, the man's body being that which completed the circuit – Yikes!
“I wouldn't walk across the yard to the barn to hear Frank Sinatra
sing for free!” well, I guess that one needs no explanation!
Nowadays
Mike and I go out to eat a lot. And we are usually fairly hungry. We
have been known to quickly clean our plates. When the waiter
brings the bill, we point to the empty plates and look at the waiter
and say, “I don't think we should have to pay for this, clearly we
could not stand the sight of it!”
And
the waiter appreciates this, every single time.
274
20151001 Couldn't Stand the Sight of It
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