Memories in a Bowl

I’m not sure why, but yesterday my apartment was flooded with a familiar smell. One that I hadn’t come into contact with for many many years, Chocolate Malt-O-Meal. I know that probably sounds very peculiar, but it’s comforting and brings back so many memories of my youth.

I remember being about nine or ten when we lived in a two story house on Fyler Ave. Chilly fall and winter mornings my mom would stand over the stove stirring the chocolate grain cereal. Once it had cooked she would add a bit of sugar, milk, and chocolate syrup for extra oomph. Oh how I loved those mornings. The house would be still and quiet before school as I made my way upstairs and to the kitchen table. The smell would just envelop the entire house and would sink into my pores. The comfort I took from it was overwhelming and the hot cereal would fill me up quickly. Those days always seemed to be good and productive days throughout school.

A few years back it became impossible to find the stuff, even though in my adult years I found that I preferred the maple and brown sugar flavor. The only available flavor anywhere near my state become the original…and who wants that? I want my children to have those memories of malt o meal at the table, a full belly, and something warm on a cold day. It something from my childhood that I can share with them and perhaps they can share with their children someday. I want to be like my mother was; standing at the stove in my robe, stirring the pot, and bring my children out the bowls of warmth and relaxation with a smile on my face knowing the memories and comfort it holds…even if they don’t. That smell that wafts through the house that brings back memories of good times.

Thanks to my friend Erik I found that you can now purchase the chocolate at Wal-Mart nearby and the maple and brown sugar can be ordered online at the malt o meal website. I have to say that it is good news for me and I plan on bringing that experience back into my life very soon.