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Hall of Famer [22127]
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The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
Apr 30, 2020, 5:41 PM
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My Florida home town during my high school days in the 1930's had a population of about 1,000. It was a farming community and was still in the clutches of the depression. Students from two area schools that went through the ninth grade, joined our school for their final three years. Most of the guys on the team lived on a farm.
Our school facilities were unlike those students attend today. We did not have a cafeteria. Students riding the school busses brought their lunch from home. Those of us who lived in town walked home for lunch. There were no fancy lunch boxes adorned with Disney characters and such. The favorite lunch box was a recycled Crisco three-pound lard tin with a handle.
McDonalds, Hardees and other fast food purveyors of sausage and ham biscuits are late comers to these wonderful morsels of food. That Crisco lunch pail was loaded with biscuits, sausage, ham, vegetables and a piece of cake or pie. The school did not have money for a meal when we had an away game. The guys living in the country brought an extra Crisco lunch pail filled to the brim. For those of us living in town, our pre-game meal was usually in a paper sack. Sometimes, several guys living in the country had "cat-head" biscuits and a small jar of honey or cane syrup.
We didn't have an activities bus for our away games, we used one of the regular school busses and we ate our pre-game meal as we traveled. When those guys opened those Crisco lunch pails that aroma coming from those pails filled that bus and made everyone hungry. Quite often we would swap some of our =food items. The bus driver had to sweep out the bus when we got to the playing field because there food crumbs, mostly biscuit, were all over the floor.
We usually had a couple of away games with teams east of Palatka and those were always our favorite trips. We found a restaurant in Palatka where we could get a pint of milk for ten cents and one-quarter slice of a pie for fifteen cents. This was our after-game treat.
Money was scarce and some of the guys didn't have a quarter, but we always found enough quarters so that no one would go hungry. Few of us had a monetary allowance but we did have a special allowance of another sort, if we did all of our chores, we were allowed to put our feet under the dining table and enjoy a hearty meal with the rest of the family. We didn't have much money but we sure did have a lot of fun.
When I return to my old home town, I visit the cemetery where my parents are buried. I ride around the newer areas and see the head stones of guys who played on those 1936-38 teams. When I see those head stones I am always reminded of some funny incident that occurred long, long ago. And then I realize I am the only one left standing.
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CU Guru [1273]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
Apr 30, 2020, 6:45 PM
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What a terrific and timely memory.... I'm sure you stand proud and humble at the same time, Joe, and all for the very same reasons. I hear literature here, a great short story the likes of William Faulkner bring to mind. A great poet once said, "wisdom is having things right in your life, and knowing why." I think you fit the bill. I was a double major at Clemson, Architecture and English (in that order), and almost committed myself to a career of teaching students how to read and write poetry. But I stuck with Architecture, my first love at an early age. I made a decent living, and always considered that decision at a young age to have made all the difference. Now, if I can only figure out the "wisdom" thing... haha!
Thanks for all your posts, Joe. Always meaningful and inspiring.
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All-In [25891]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
Apr 30, 2020, 8:25 PM
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Great story Joe. Many of the millenials of today don't have a clue what occurred before their time nor do they care. Many would not survive during your time. They don't even teach about the Holocaust in many schools. This should be a requirement in all, all school curriculums.
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110%er [6095]
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the current agenda is to paint us as rich colonizers who
May 1, 2020, 7:05 AM
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took and exploited resources and people. Current eduction doesn’t tell the real story of most Americans at the time and that the “exploiters” were a small percentage of the population
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Orange Blooded [4389]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
Apr 30, 2020, 8:48 PM
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Great story Joe! I just completed my senior year of high school at Wren and played football all four years. Our pregame meals were slightly different than the ones you got to enjoy ??. Chick-fil-A was a Friday evening staple! It’s crazy to think about just how different our football memories are! Keep the great stories coming!
Go Tigers!!!
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CU Medallion [52020]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
Apr 30, 2020, 9:09 PM
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Thank you for sharing, Joe.
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Orange Blooded [4469]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
May 1, 2020, 1:25 AM
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I love that area of Florida. I went to law school down there and always enjoyed loading up on produce at the farmers markets outside of Gainesville.
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110%er [5461]
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Joe, you are not only standing...
May 1, 2020, 9:12 AM
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...you are thriving.
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All-TigerNet [12834]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
May 1, 2020, 9:19 AM
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That was a beautiful, heart stirring piece Sir!
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Hall of Famer [22291]
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You touched on 2 things that reminded me of my mom.
May 1, 2020, 9:35 AM
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She was born in 1917. (1) Having no money at all. When someone would say - dang, gas was just 25 cents a gallon back then, she'd reply - yeah, but we didn't have a quarter. (2) And "cat head" biscuits... that's what she called em, too. They weren't light and fluffy like the ones we know today. They were kinda flat and dense... I called em lead-bellies because that's what they felt like if you ate several. They filled you up quick, felt like your belly was full of lead. LOL
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Starter [372]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
May 1, 2020, 9:59 AM
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Thank you for sharing these stories.
I am still fairly new to posting but have been following TNet since the early 2000's. I have always enjoyed your comments and insights and look forward to may more in the future. Be safe.
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110%er [6009]
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Re: The 1930's HS Football Pre-Game Meal
May 2, 2020, 10:33 AM
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Great Stuff Joe21. I love hearing stories of yesteryear, My Mom and Dad always had great stories but yours go back even further. I'm so looking forward to getting your book when it is ready.
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