If I know one thing about my readers, it’s that they like walking down Memory Lane now and then. After two days of preaching about punctuation, let’s take a walk, shall we?
I’ve been sick for about a week with a debilitating sinus infection. If you’ve ever had one, you know it can cripple your brain and cloud your thinking. In fact, I think this one has cut off some neural pathways altogether and opened up some that have been dormant for decades.
Out of the blue yesterday, while struggling to remember something important, I remembered Funny Face instant flavored drink mix.
Who remembers Funny Face? To put in perspective how long ago it was on the market, the label brags about the drink being free of Cyclamate, an artificial sweetener that was banned around 1970 for causing cancer in rats. I recall at the time, imagining a rat drinking Funny Face through a tiny straw.
The makers of Funny Face were ahead of their time in giving the various flavors way-out names. In fact, some were later changed, likely for their political incorrectness. My friends and I assigned flavors to each other. Sadly, I was Freckle Face Strawberry. I guess that was better than Goofy Grape or Loud-Mouth Lime. Other flavors included Lefty Lemonade, Rootin’ Tootin’ Raspberry, Chinese Cherry (later renamed Choo-Choo Cherry), Injun Orange (later renamed Jolly Olly Orange), Captain Black Cherry, Rah! Rah! Root Beer, Pistol Pink Lemonade (huh?), Rudy Tutti Frutti and With-It Watermelon.
Just remembering the carefree days of Funny Face relieved my sinus pressure, at least temporarily.
Another flavor I crave from my childhood is Maypo hot cereal. I think they brought it back once, but I’m not sure it’s available any longer. As crummy as I feel today, I might just cry, “I want my Maypo!”
What flavors from your childhood would you give your eye teeth to taste just once more?
Word Nymph 