I’m not Irish, so why does St. Patrick’s Day remind me of my youth?
Now that I am a sophisticated adult it might be difficult to believe, but I grew up on a hog farm. Across the back 40, about a mile away, stood Frank’s Kraut Factory. The water tower was easily seen in the distance. The nearby unincorporated village is Franksville. I attended Franksville Grade School — 2 rooms when I started and eventually 4 rooms and a gym with a basketball hoop!
I remember when relatives from the city visited us, the kids would often ask, “Ooooo, what’s that smell?” My answer was, “What smell?” But, of course I knew they were just not used to living around barns full of hogs and the ubiquitous hog manure.
When the wind blew out of the northwest, the aroma from the kraut factory would waft across our property and offer a brief respite from the hog manure. I’m not saying that I love the smell of kraut, what I am saying is that it sure smells better than hog manure! So, to this day, Reuben Sandwiches on St. Patrick’s Day remind me of that ol’ farm and that ol’ factory.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!