I would always come home for a Bob Salad

My dad was 50 when I was born.  I am the youngest of six children.  The next in line is 7 years older than I.  After graduating high school and turning down several scholarships because I got homesick just thinking about being that far away from my family, I moved out to busy myself with a lot of "activities."  From my studio apartment in Costa Mesa, I would get a call from my dad a couple of times a month.  Usually mom called.  It was just the two of them at home for the first time since they met up until the time my eldest brother was born.  They were different now that it was just the two of them.

Dad would call just to chat and make me laugh.  But when he would call early enough and say, "Honey, I'm making a salad.  How does that sound?"  I knew he meant his "Bob Salad."  My dad, the feisty heart patient, never really ate very healthy.  But as he started to venture into vegetables, he discovered he had a knack for creating amazing salads of chopped vegetables from Plow Boys.  I would say, "Can you wait about a 1/2 hour? I'm on my way."  The answer was always, "Of course, see you in a bit, baby."

Other than coffee through high school, it was the one time we spent together - just the two of us eating these salads.  My mom was usually out or had eaten and he waited for me. I smile every time I eat a red onion to this day.  He introduced me to red onions, green peppers. Up until Bob Salads I was convinced most vegetables were brown and mushy.  Salads were Iceberg lettuce and tomato only.

Here's the recipe:

Iceberg lettuce, of course
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tomato cut into chunks
1/4 cup bean sprouts - these were new to him outside of Chinese take-out
Bacon bits
Some kind of shredded cheese - I don't remember, but I usually use cheddar to go with the bacon
Italian dressing on the side - I like Newman's Light Italian with Lemon.

It's not fancy or terribly unique, but he made it for me a couple of times a month.  He died in 1989, about 2 1/2 years after I moved out.  I had a couple of dozen salads with him and a few breakfasts at the Jolly Roger in Seal Beach with both of them.  These were our times with just us. We had plenty of times together with the whole family or sections of it, based on schedules. I'm forever grateful I decided to stay "home" after graduation.  I miss my parents and thrive on the memories and stories we all recall at different times. 

Comments

[Michelle]

Oh man! Where are my tissues??? sniff, sniff... Yep, they were a special couple, those two. Love U, Me