Another Life

Since I seem to be stuck on the topic of Life this morning, do you remember Life - the cereal?

That was a great cereal. I used to love it as a kid. My mother never bought sugary cereals. We used to go on a rampage during the summers when we visited our cousins in Ontario who were allowed Honey-Combs and Lucky Charms. Marshmallows! For Breakfast! Really, whose idea was that? No wonder we're such a manic generation, millions of young adults are just now coming down off sugar highs.

My Dad grew up very poor and only ever had 5 KG bags of puffed wheat for breakfast (no, not the whole bag each morning, that would hardly be cost effective). When the family had enough money for a treat, they would buy a box of Shreddies. My Dad hated puffed wheat so much that when he was out on his own, he swore never to eat the stuff again, and instead ate Shreddies every day for the rest of his life. Those Shreddies were important. Every morning Freddie and Eddie the Shreddies told him that he had reached a higher level. His kids would never eat puffed wheat. Why he then chose to eat Shreddies every single day, I'm not sure... psychology is a strange science.

But Life! I loved Life. It had that slight sweetness from the corn or something, and it melted in your mouth. I used to pour my cereal and just let it sit in the milk. My father would growl, "Eat it already." But I would wait until it was a soggy mess. Dad would grumble, probably thinking how we didn't know how good our lives were when it came to cereals.

I remember the Life box, I don't think it's changed. Big colourful letters, and that smiling Quaker Oats guy (until I was 7, I was sure that the Quaker Oats Guy was my Great Uncle Dick... looked just like him... Why Uncle Dick was involved in cereal production, I never stoped to question). But who came up with the name? Never really made sense. Life - The cereal. Maybe it was a self-help cereal. Head to the cereal aisle for answers. Your life might be a soggy mess, but it still tastes sweet. That's a lesson right there.

I wonder if I can find Life in Pakistan?