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Rat cheese cravings, savorings
Published Sunday, March 1, 2009
An unwed-teenage girl was checking out her WIC purchases ahead of me at the grocery store. Her buggy was filled with apples, grapes and other tempting fruits, milk, eggs, butter … and cheese.
I started to salivate at the mere sight of the red-rind cheese – that six dollar wedge of old-fashioned “rat” cheese.
When I was a little girl, we only had one automobile so my aunt and grandmother would come and get us to go visit them in Eufaula. Riding in a hot car in the hot summertime was not a pleasant way to travel. So, by the time we got all the way from Brundidge to Clio, we were a hot, sweaty, quarrelsome bunch.
Aunt Eleanor would stop at this little country store and treat us to an R.C. Cola, rat cheese, crackers and a dill pickle. We’d sit out under a big oak tree and enjoy a feast fit for a king.
Since then, I’ve been addicted to dill pickles and rat cheese but, in today’s world, it would take a king’s ransom to purchase a wedge of rat cheese. Even though I stand drooling in want, I just can’t justify spending $6 for rat cheese when there are starving people all over the world.
The young WIC woman was not starving.
So, when it was my turn at the checkout, I asked the young cashier, “If I have a baby can I get on the WIC program and get a wedge of rat cheese?”
The cashier responded by disappearing behind the counter in laughter.
“Well, if middle-aged women can have litters of babies, surely I can have just one.”
The cashier got a big laugh at the thought of an ol’gal like me on the WIC program, but I turned thoughtful. Rat cheese conjured memories of rats.
In my childhood, wooden rat traps were as common as the cold. The traps were baited with rat cheese or in today’s vernacular, red-rind or hoop cheese.
Rat cheese was high on the food chain for field mice but wharf rats—or woof rats as young’uns called them – preferred fine dining. Once a woof rat ate an entire angel food cake and a sack of sweet potatoes at one outing at my granddaddy’s house.
Woof rats were bigger than a house cat and two of them could hold you down while another ate the ears off your head. At least, that’s what Pop said. And given what one did to 5 pounds of sweet potatoes, I had little doubt.
And any doubt was removed, when Dora pulled the covers up around her neck on a cold, winter’s night and left her feet sticking out. A woof rat spied her big toe and took a big bite out of it.
So much of my young life was lived in fear of woof rats. But then came the Orkin man with blocks of green rat poison and ran the rats away and the wood rat trap company almost out of business and upgraded rat cheese to red-rind.
In recent years, wharf rats had not occupied much of my mind so I was rather surprised to come face-to-face with the biggest rat I had ever seen.
My friend Sarah and I were down at the old Prestwood Mill and the owner Mr. Allen was demonstrating how the grist mill worked. In was twilight and the hanging bulb gave off only a dim light.
All of a sudden out of nowhere, there it was, this huge woof rat, standing high on its haunches with its tiny, sharp teeth exposed in a menacing grin. Its elephant ears were standing at attention and its long, black tail was in the attack position.
My heart tried to jump out of my chest and the hair stood up on the back on my neck. Sarah screamed and jumped flatfooted onto a grain push cart. The wooden floor slanted toward the grinding stone so the force of the jump set the cart in motion. Sarah went rolling and screaming across the room and stopped with a thud against the far wall.
Her hysteria had evidently scared the woof rat because it had retreated. So, I decided it was best for me to get my feet off the floor. I stepped up on a low bench cluttered with paper sacks for the meal.
Sarah was banked against the wall, whimpering, Mr. Allen had not missed a beat with his presentation and I was trying to look nonchalant about the whole thing.
Then I heard rattling in the paper sacks. And, as if we were one, Sarah and I both leaped from our perches and made a mad dash for the door.
We were in the car with the windows rolled up and the motor running when Mr. Allen appeared.
He tapped on the window and I let it down just enough to hear what he was saying.
“I thought y’all were country girls,” he said, with a hee-haw laugh.
We left him in the dust.
And, those who think that you can get the girl out of the country but you can’t get the country out of the girl, are dead wrong.
Coming face-to-face with a giant woof rat will get the country out of any girl.
Jaine Treadwell is the features editor at The Messenger. She can be reached at jaine.treadwell@troymessenger.com
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Comments
Posted by YEM (anonymous) on March 1, 2009 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, is the point of this story to make fun of someone on the WIC program? I don't get it.
Posted by elvis2 (anonymous) on March 2, 2009 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyone who can't get it or rather understand the point Mrs Treadwell was making needs to just ignore the articles that are over their head . It's so simple to understand I won't bother to explain it to you , because you wouldn't get it .
Full steam ahead Mrs Treadwell and continue to entertain us with your stories .
Posted by regis (anonymous) on March 2, 2009 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
She wasn't making fun. She was jealous. Because she remembered how much she likes hoop cheese but she couldn't afford to buy it. Heck, I love me some hoop cheese too but I haven't had it in years because it costs too much.
Posted by blue_eyes2008 (anonymous) on March 3, 2009 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No YEM the point is not to make fun of someone on the WIC program but it does give people like you the opportunity to try and be ugly. You must not know Mrs. Treadwell...she was making a memory for some of us come alive again and the chance to laugh. Thanks Jaine and I too would love to have some hoop cheese toasted on a slice of bread (um, um good) from Mr. Belchers store.
Posted by playingcinderella (anonymous) on March 3, 2009 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
YEM...I can see your point. I think the story could have been written without the reference to the unwed teenager on WIC. I'm just thankful the girl had other healthy foods and not just junk to go with what she gets on WIC. I feel Ms Treadwell was trying to make an issue out of this young girl being able to buy the cheese she wanted when she shouldn't because she's on public assistance. She was making "digs" at this girl just like Elivis2 was making "digs" at your comment. Unfortunately we are far from living in a perfect world...example..we now have a president pushing for Socialism.
Posted by mdmadph (anonymous) on March 3, 2009 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ya'll can defend this woman as much as you want, but I still don't see how this person being on WIC was even important to the story, unless someone's trying to poke fun of people on the WIC program.
I don't even know how she could tell this person was on WIC, unless she was being unreasonably nosy!
Posted by lifeisgreat (anonymous) on March 3, 2009 at 11:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ummm...hoop cheese isn't even a WIC item...I should know I'm a cashier.
Posted by susan_86 (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 2:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm with lifeisgreat. Usually I try not to comment but I also worked in a grocery store before as a cashier and the cheese you guys are referring to cannot be purchased with a wic voucher. “If I have a baby can I get on the WIC program and get a wedge of rat cheese?”
The cashier responded by disappearing behind the counter in laughter.
I'm sure she was laughing at you!!!
Posted by regis (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just because you are not supposed to buy hoop cheese with WIC vouchers doesn't mean it doesn't happen. You're not supposed to be able to buy alcohol in Troy on Sunday either but I saw a lady buy two packs of wine coolers on a Sunday morning at SFM when it used to be Food World. The cashier never even blinked.
Posted by lifeisgreat (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
regis,
WIC vouchers are typed into the register. It will not ring up anything that is not a WIC item. It will say it is not a WIC item. & I'm sure that alcohol is sold on Sundays. haha. But with WIC it's simply impossible.
Posted by regis (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well if I can't get the hoopty cheese, then I ain't even gonna try gettin' on WIC. Good thing anyway. Turns out I'd have to have 16 kids to qualify. After I told my wife that, she told me to go do unto myself 16 times as I would do unto her. Bottom line is, no hoopty cheese for me.
Posted by OldSchoolPike3Worker (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 10:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As for me, I'm disturbed by the whole part about "I started to salivate at the mere sight of the red-rind cheese." If those foods will cause that kind of reaction, imagine what a six pack of Budweiser and a box of Fruit Loops can do! Watch you back when standing in line folks!
Posted by OldSchoolPike3Worker (anonymous) on March 4, 2009 at 10:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
should say watch your back.
Posted by YEM (anonymous) on March 5, 2009 at 12:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I also like hoop cheese, but I don't know how that has anything to do with an "unwed teenager on WIC". I am guessing that she was implying that the girl was pregnant or had children, because how would she know the girl's marital status?
And since the cashiers have commented on hoop cheese not being a WIC item, we now know this story is fabricated. Once again, where are the fact checkers of the Messenger? Have you no journalistic integrity?
Posted by bdhs4 (anonymous) on March 5, 2009 at 4:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If the girl had not been on WIC, she wouldn't have been able to afford the Hoop. She may not have paid for it with the WIC but because of being able to purchase her other stuff with WIC she was able to purchase it with the extra cash she had. This is a screwed up country when the ones working have to pay for someone else's WIC, Foodstamps, Medicaid. I say reevaluate the whole welfare system or better yet end it all together unless it is for the elderly who have WORKED all their lives.
Posted by YEM (anonymous) on March 5, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The girl on WIC might have a job.
Tredwell didn't get the facts.
Time to walk the plank!!
Posted by turtle (anonymous) on March 5, 2009 at 10:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't consider WIC a welfare program. I mean people who make close to 50,000 a year can qualify for WIC. I've known people who owned their own businesses receive WIC. It is a program to encourage healthy eating for mothers and provide healthy food for infants and children. WIC is actually a good program. It should not be confused with welfare programs that are taken advantage of by many like food stamps and ADC. Also the same with medicaid. Look at how many children would go uninsured if medicaid were not available to them. Medicaid is a program for children and the elderly. Yes, you have some people who are on disability that aren't elderly and receive medicaid but it isn't available for just anyone. You must be a child, or pregnant or qualify through medicare and have less than a certain amount of income to qualify for both medicare and medicaid.
I do agree however that the welfare system needs re-evaluating. If you can afford an Escalade and can get your hair, toes, and nails done on a regular basis you can afford your own groceries.
Posted by blue_eyes2008 (anonymous) on March 6, 2009 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You are so right Turtle!! Your last sentence is so true. These are the people who know how to WORK the system and get by with the lying and cheating it takes to get their checks. I see it everyday and it just makes me sick. I was brought up with values of working for what I received and now as an adult I have tried to teach my children the same. Those on welfare that lie to get it have been taught by their parents and grandparents. I am all about helping the poor who deserve the assistance but the young people that drive nice cars and don't work....I just don't get it.
Posted by YEM (anonymous) on March 6, 2009 at 2:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know more rich people that cheat on their taxes than poor people that cheat the system. You all are a joke. Get off your high horse.
"And those on welfare that lie to get it" that you are referring to, blue eyes: weren't necessarily taught by their parents. If the system is SO easy to cheat, why don't the people running the system do a better job of checking out where the money is going? There is always a paper trail. The government is just too lazy to check it.
Posted by Mook (anonymous) on March 6, 2009 at 2:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with "Yem" i don't get it. What does the unwed girl and her WIC has to do with the story of the rat or rind or hoop cheese? And now that we know that the "cheese" is not even a WIC item, i'm really confused. I can understand someone making a point out of an example but I frankly don't see the point. The story itself was entertaining but when i finished reading it, i was just like "YEM." i didn't get it. I love hoop cheese too and we buy everything else we want and can't afford so why can't Ms. Treadwell buy some cheese. I don't know Ms. Treadwell and I'm not judging anyone but one of the comments stated that Ms. Treadwell's point was that the cheese is costly and had the "unwed girl" not been on WIC she would not be able to afford the cheese or something to that extent. Let's all just put our monies together and buy some red rind cheese!
Posted by turtle (anonymous) on March 7, 2009 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cheese is a WIC item. Hoop or rind cheese is not. There are very specific items you can get on WIC. Cheese you have specific kinds (like cheddar block, singles, etc). You have specific cereal brands and types you can purchase with WIC, certain juices, etc. You can't just get any brand or type you wish.
Posted by YEM (anonymous) on March 7, 2009 at 5:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I conclude Treadwell wrote this story to get a raise from the Messenger. She obviously doesn't get paid enough to check facts, and would like everyone to know she can't afford hoop cheese. So much for the pimento cheese sandwiches!!!
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