Meatball Memory: Monster Meatballs in Camp
Meatballs are a family meal, which would explain why they are served to home-sick campers during the summer months. Most people would agree that they are a meal-time favorite, regardless of where you eat them.
My memories of summer camp began before my bags were even packed. At the ripe age of 10, I was thrilled to be spending my summer in another state, making new friends, swimming in a lake, and camping at the same spot where my father and grandfather did. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face as the weeks to summer camp drew closer.
My father’s sister also went to this camp. She always had a knack at ruining my eternal good mood—after all, what can a 10 year old actually be upset about? School was ending and my two months of playtime was about to begin.
As I waited to board the plane that would take me to my serendipitous refuge, my aunt made herself comfortable in the seat next to me. “You know,” she began, “camp food is notoriously bad.”
“OK, Auntie,” I replied, with my biggest smile, trying to ignore her inevitable ominous words.
“I just want to give you some advice before you sit in the dining hall—beware the ‘monster meatballs.’” And with that one sentence, she had instilled the fear of a camp chef in me. What was a “monster meatball”? And why were they feeding them to us? Are they old? Green? Indigestible? They had to have been memorable if after decades, she was still talking about them.
I boarded the plane and awaited my arrival at summer camp. The first meal served was dinner. And the first dinner at camp, was “monster meatballs”. So the mystery was quickly resolved—these were the largest meatballs I had ever seen in my life! And yes, I indulged.
Visiting Day came, and with it, so did Auntie. She didn’t have to ask me if I had eaten the meatballs, because the proof was evident in my waistline. So instead, she warned me the consequences of eating too many “monster meatballs”… as if I didn’t already know.
Since that day, I have shed my baby weight (and my monster weight) and continue to enjoy monster meatballs at every opportunity.
Classic Summer Campfire
*Image Source: “camp fires” by Jon Sullivan
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