A Yellow Box Before the Yellow Bus.

I sat a spell and thought a lot last night about food, and somewhere in between David Archuleta's performance of Imagine on American Idol and Billy the Exterminator's successful capture of a wayward armadillo on A&E,  it became clear...  Yeah, they were all yellow.

FYI:  If you enjoy watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and HGTV, then Billy the Exterminator is right up your alley.  Sporting fingerless gloves and awkward sprigs of side hair, Billy's on a down HOME mission to catch & kill scumBUGS!   http://www.aetv.com/billy-the-exterminator/.

So, like I said, I was thinking about the more meaningful, tangibly distinct food memories from my childhood, and a color commonality showed itself -- Yellow.
 

Without further story delay, I begin... 

A Yellow Introduction.

My father has his own way of saying things.  Words, in particular.  For instance, my father doesn't say IDEA \ī-ˈdēə\ like most people.  Instead, he says, IDEER \ī-ˈdir\.  Like the animal, I-DEER.

Another classic mix-up in the MUL-LANGUAGE (that's short for Language of the Mulligan's), is the simple word, hello \hə-ˈlō\.  If, for example, you were introduced to my father for the first time, he wouldn't shake your hand and politely say HELLO, he would say, YELLOW \yə-ˈlō\. 

My siblings and I have had a hearty laugh, at my father's expense, on more than one occasion.

(1) A Yellow Box Before the Yellow Bus.

There were mornings my father would wake me for school.  Not every morning.  Some, however.  And I must say, I don't remember a single word exchanged, or even one fight to rise-n-start the day. 

I only remember Cheerios, night skies intact, and my father, quiet, at the table. 

Together, at such table, we would sit with our yellow box at hand.  He would pour his bowl, and I would pour mine. 

A sprinkle of sugar, and a bowlful of Cheerios. The original Cheerioats, before Banana Nut, Berry Burst, and MultiGrain.

Nearly sleeping, and always slurping, I would often shake & shiver.  Determined, I would eat though.  For I couldn't miss the blaring honk of the yellow bus, waiting.

(2) The Hotcake Inquisition.

There's no need for build-up as far as this anecdote goes. 

In the Mulligan household, en lieu of chocolate chips, or the more traditional blueberry, my father made pancakes with yellow, sweet corn.

Actually, I was nearly twenty when I realized people didn't eat corn pancakes on Saturdays.  Fact of the matter, WE only ate corn pancakes on Saturdays!

When the Mulligan pancake myth was debunked a couple years back, I asked my father, Why corn?

Not that I didn't LOVE corn or anything.  I was just confused?! 

FYI:  Sweet corn pancakes are delicious!

In response to my hotcake inquisition, he responded simply, "Gillian, my dad made corn pancakes for me when I was a kid.  Before that, his mother made corn pancakes too."

Dad:  I plan on keeping this tradition alive.  I love it!  I love you!

___________________________________________________

A Rain Dance in Yellow.

Yellow Pants and a Yellow Dog.

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All Things Yellow:  Gillian's Favorites!

 

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

  

 The Complete Adventures of Curious George, Anniversary Edition

 

Madeline