The spice tea of life

Enjoying a family tradition made of Tang, tea and love

It is no new discovery to say that food and drink play a part in many cherished childhood memories. The climactic scene of Pixar’s “Ratatouille” has the heart of the antagonist, pompous restaurant critic Anton Ego, melted when the title dish reminds him of what his mother served him as a child.

In the case of “Ratatouille,” of course, both the childhood version and the restaurant version are prepared from scratch. Sometimes, our childhood memories are more processed — Hamburger Helper, prepared with love, can be as much of a childhood memory, and then later an adult comfort food, as a slow-cooked Sunday gravy. For some people, Spam or fried bologna are treasured childhood flavors.

My mother, who passed away in 2010, had several dishes I remember — I’ve never come anywhere close to her fried chicken — but sometimes, it’s the simple things that stick in your mind. I’ve posted previously about our holiday tradition of “nuts and bolts,” Mom’s recipe for Chex mix. My brother Michael keeps Mom’s recipe alive and makes up batches for each of us every holiday season; he brought me a tub this past weekend…