By Vernalee
Recently, , a colleague asked me if I had ever eaten sardines. That question took me back about 45 years or so as I recalled the “chopping cotton” days in Mississippi. When the field hands broke for lunch, the delicacies that were sold were Vienna sausage, potted meat, and sardines (along with crackers, of course). Honey buns or cowboy cookies were dessert items. The field overseer would find a shady spot under a big tree to escape the 100 plus degree heat as the workers lined up to make their food purchases. The bare ground served as the luncheon table with the spreading of an outer garment as the tablecloth. Those sardines had a stinky smell, but they were needed nourishment and a way of life for many Black families in the 1960' and 70's who chopped cotton every day for a daily wage of $15.00 just to put food on their tables. Despite the torching heat, it was a job to make ends meet. Some memories never fade particularly when they were a part of your existence!
By the way, I love sardines ...stinky and all! Photo credit: www.livestrong.com