Butter

10/3/2017

Growing up, "butter" (oleo actually) came in sticks, that were rock hard and tasted pretty much like nothing.  Then came the age of whipped butter in a tub.  What an improvement that was.  Because of it's round shape, a bit trickier to store in the refrigerator.  Oleo sticks stacked up neatly.

I can't remember a time when my parents ever had butter in the house.  They used, for many, many years Parkay margarine.  That's what I grew up with, and it's all I knew about the world of margarine.  When we would eat out, little pats of butter came with bread, and it was definitely yummy.

Once divorced, and on a super tight budget, I also bought margarine in a tub, to be used sparingly.  And then I met Jeff.  After meeting Jeff, and ultimately marrying him, there was never any margarine in the house.  Nope, it was butter all the time.  Theory is that because butter tastes so much better, you use less of it.  That theory doesn't actually work for me - I don't think you can have enough butter on your food.  

And now we come to the two seasons of butter.  I bet you didn't know butter had seasons, but they do.  The first season is fall and winter .  You bring out your warm and toasted bagel, and "attempt" to put butter on top.  Attempt is the key word.  You slice, (actually hack) away bits and pieces of butter, in an attempt to get enough butter to get the job done.  One answer to this problem is to toast said bagel and put it in the microwave for a few seconds.  Out comes perfectly melted butter.

The other season is summer.  It's hot outside and so is your butter.  At this time of year, the butter is so soft and in actuality a bit hard to spread.  Why?  Because when butter turns into the melted stage, it's easier to spoon the butter on your bagel.  It's that soft.  I've been tempted in the past to just hold the butter dish over my bagel and let the butter drip onto that bagel.

Which season do I prefer?  Summer hands down.  I hate cold butter and the effort (really?) you have to put into getting enough butter, i.e., calories, on your bagel or toast!

Little known fact:  National Butter Day is May 1st, which coincidentally is Scott's birthday.  Of course, you can and should celebrate that awesome "holiday" by using butter every day!

P