My favorite memory as a child was when my grandfather worked in the produce district on Alameda and 7th. He always brought home fruit and my grandmother loved peaches so he brought those for her. Watermelon and pineapple for the kids. He would cut the whole pineapple and put sugar on it and leave it in the freezer for a couple of hours. It was great! Bananas would come in a box some still green to last longer. And under their bed was a box of red apples with 2 of them wrapped in gold foil. I always went for those first because they always seemed special.

But when it came to meals my grandmother wouldn’t let you off the table until you finished everything on your plate. When I was 14, I was having dinner at home with my mother. We had a party at school with pizza and a lot of other junk that afternoon. I was sitting at the table pushing my food around when my mother asked what was wrong and I said I was full so she said I didn’t have to finish my dinner. It never occurred to me not to finish a meal. I was always told about those hungry children around the world who had nothing to eat. I still feel I can’t leave food on my plate. But today I do use a smaller plate.