Things I Would Have Forgotten

If I’m honest with myself, I didn’t want to move back to Ohio. There’s so much more of the world left to see, and here I am, living where I have already spent the better part of 19 years of my life. Well, it hasn’t turned out too bad. I’m still waiting to start my new job, but here are a few of the things that I’d forgotten about that now I think about and smile. Maybe southwest Ohio isn’t such a bad place to be from. (For Al, this list also includes a few things that Cincinnati is “known for”…since you asked.)

1. United Dairy Farmers (aka UDF) still has some of the best cookies ‘n cream ice cream I’ve ever tasted.

2. A backyard bbq isn’t complete without a game of horseshoes or cornhole.

3. Tartar sauce is a suitable condiment for cheeseburgers. (Available at Frisch’s city-wide.)

4. Supermarkets, especially small IGAs, are never actually called “IGA.” Rather, the possessive form of the owner’s name. For example, I grew up shopping at Brownie’s in Owensville.

5. Busken bakery makes excellent cookies (especially the yellow smiley face cookies) and Servatti’s makes great sweet breads and breakfast breads.

6. The best streets always tell you where you are or where you’re going. I live off of Amelia-Olive Branch, which connects those two parts of town. I grew up on Belfast-Owensville Road, which was the Owensville end of Belfast Road. The other end was Belfast-Goshen Road, which ended in the town of Goshen. My other favorite roads currently include: Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, the Norwood Lateral, and the Beechmont Levy.

7. “I want a three-way” means you’re craving Cincinnati-style chili (specifically Skyline), not anything sexual.

8. Honeysuckle is one of my favorite scents.

9. I love small towns.

10. I used to pull the legs off daddy long legs and feed them to bluejays as a child.