Her fingers circled the lid in a slow hypnotic motion. Hardly anyone ate the pickles any more. Certainly not the kids. Her Indian pickles had too much oil and spice for their palate. With Ravi’s escalating reflux problem, it had become a rare sinful indulgence. And yet…
She couldn’t imagine her window sill without those jars. It was a treasured recipe passed down from generations. Her lingering connection to the women of her family who lived no more. She smiled thinking of how appalled her grandmother would have been had a meal been served without the auspicious pickle.
Some traditions were not about logic, they were about comfort.
PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays
In response to The Friday Fictioneers challenge of 15 June 2018
I miss some of the meal traditions we used to have
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Dear Sheena,
I have a sudden craving for spicy Indian pickles. Nice take on the prompt.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you
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Nicely done.
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🙂
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Very nice. Auspicious pickle! How warmly you tell us of their importance.
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Thank you for stopping by to share my story
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I really like how you took the jars as inspiration and not the bird. Nice musings in this story.
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Thank you. The charm is in the picture which lends itself to so many perspectives and interpretations.
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You reminded me how much I miss eating pickles. Nice focus for your story.
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I’m beginning to see how many pickle lovers there are around the world:-)
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I can’t imagine life without pickles! A delightfully different take Sheena
Click to read my FriFic tale
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😀
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Oh I would love to have some pickles…
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😀
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You’ve written this beautifully, Sheena. That opening sentence is terrific, conveying immediately the way she is thinking and feeling. By giving us her thoughts, you succeed in summarising the good and the bad of the pickles. But you do it by telling us about her family, and how they respond to the pickles, and why, so we don’t feel that you’re lecturing us. Clever writing, that! And your last sentence is very wise, a very appropriate summing up. This is a lovely piece!
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Thank you so much for appreciating and for your lovely comments.
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Made me think of what used to be a tradition–pickles of some kind with the main meal of the day used to be the norm–and they’re good for us, too 🙂
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Definitely putting pickles on the shopping list this morning. Really enjoyed your unusual take on the image.
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Sweet story – and I just loved that last line!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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A delicious take.
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Is there anything more comforting than eating home-made pickles? I think of all the gifts my parents received on their 25th anniversary, the one my father most got excited about what a huge jar of my aunt’s famous salt pickles!
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One day her kids will miss these pickles. A lovely tale about tradition and the importance of food for the family.
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