Blackstrap Molasses

One of our errands last Friday was to stop at the health food store and pick up a few items. Mrs. flinty was leading the way with me in tow. My job mainly is to push the shopping cart (thank you very much Mr. Sylvan Goldman) and to occasionally lift something requiring a man's strength, such as a case of Fiji water. Navigating the aisles of our store is a bit like threading a needle given the exhibits placed here and there amidst the bodies of the shoppers. It is a difficult task but so far I've been dependable if not outstanding.

Suddenly that lovely domestic scene was interrupted by my sighting of something particularly fascinating. I am easily distracted in health food stores. There are just so many interesting bottles and foods and what have you. But it was the Blackstrap Molasses that had captured my attention.

I said to Mrs. Flinty, "Do you remember blackstrap molasses?" to which she replied "Why do they call it blackstrap?" "I don't know" said I while stopping to inspect the various bottles.

I remember long ago in my childhood someone giving us some homemade blackstrap molasses in a Mason jar. It was very black and very thick and I thought it tasted terrible. But the adults were keen to eat it with hot, homemade cornbread and butter. This was still the day when the Crisco can sat in a prominent place in the kitchen and butter was actually butter. I remember at the time it was a serious waste of otherwise good cornbread ruined by pouring that black goop on it.

Blackstrap is just a very cool name. But what does it mean for goodness sake? Of course I had to search all over the Internet for some explanation of "blackstrap." Apparently this stuff now has health and medicinal benefits. Really. There are people swearing that this stuff reverses gray hair and cures or aids any number of other diseases.

So far all I know about the blackstrap part is that's what is left after the third boiling and extraction of the sugar from sugar cane. In other words it is the dregs of the dregs. But that's what makes it loaded with all kinds of good minerals and vitamins and stuff. So that's why it is good for us. And that's what blackstrap means but still I can't find out why it was called that.

Maybe my next blog title with have blackstrap in it. I kind of like the taste of it. It is certainly bitter for something that is sweet. I hope buttermilk isn't next.

Dad was combative this morning taking particularly great offense at my audacity in wanting to change his Depends. It was a pretty good match and he got in some good licks. But once again I prevailed and we are sitting on the porch watching the holiday takers spoil the Labor Day of the labor givers.

I think he was up a lot last night but I more or less slept through whatever it was he did when he was up. One time I checked on him and he was just sitting in his chair. I feel a little guilty for not having stayed up with him but I'm healing pretty quickly.

He became particularly enamored with one of my disposable fountain pens this morning at breakfast. The photo shows him holding the fountain pen while eating his cereal. Notice the Wal-mart plastic coated paper plate underneath the Wal-mart Corning ware cereal bowl.