1. Spam

Canned Meat. A staple for my family growing up on the lake. When I was younger we would eat Vienna sausages and crackers. When we went through a rough patch growing up and struggled to make ends meet, I noticed we ate a lot of spam. I never questioned it as a kids, but as an adult I realize how strange it is that I ate that as an everyday food. I think that the environment resulted in my turning to spam and Vienna sausages as a comfort food. It reminds me of time spent with my dad and sister and before moving to Tennessee. Weird, I know.

2. Pickle Sickles

I grew up in a baseball family in rural Mississippi. When I say that I have spent more time at he baseball park than in my own home, I really mean it. At baseball games, whether I was playing tee-ball and softball or we were watching other family members, we would get pickle sickles. They took the leftover pickle juice from the jars of pickles used for hamburgers and froze it and sold it for 50 cents to kids at their siblings games. Now, my sister and I make them at home for a summer snack. We grew accustomed to it summers in Mississippi, so why not continue the tradition in Tennessee?

3. S.O.S.

This is basically just a slice of un-toasted white bread with sausage gravy over it. My grandpa makes this for me almost every morning that I visit him. My family is rooted in the military, and they ate this at training all the time. It is quick, easy, and filling; although, not very nutritious. But now I enjoy eating it on weekends I go visit my grandparents and talking to him about what it was like for him growing up.

4. Crickets

I had the opportunity to try cricket cookies in a class I took my freshman year. In many countries, bugs are a staple in the diet. I tried several different things with crickets cooked into them, but I still have not tried crickets stand alone. I had heard they're good, but I am still hesitant to eat them. The cookies, however, are made with cricket flour and had bits of cricket scattered in them. They were delicious!

5. Eggs.... with mayo and mustard

I recognize how gross this sounds, but I promise it is worth a try. My grandpa and dad have always taught me to put mayo and mustard in my scrambled eggs, and something about it just stuck. It is not very different fro putting mayo and mustard on a sausage biscuit, but it sounds repulsive to those that weren't introduced to it during their childhood. It is different one of those combos that are strictly a family tradition. But I prefer my eggs this way now....