Philly Expatriate

Friday, April 15, 2005

Waxing Poetic

Today during the funeral mass for hubby's Aunt, my mind wandered a bit during the eulogy, given by one of her sons.

In typical kindly fashion, he reminsced on fun family times, special treats mom made for the kids etc etc. I began thinking about what memories I'd like to mention as being utterly palpable and yet solely associated with that person being eulogized. I thought of my 82-year old grandmother and how, when she'd come to visit, she always had one of two "surprises" for us girls.

If she took the train to our house from Center City, she'd somehow manage to tote her purse, a small suitcase and a large box of oversized cupcakes from a bakery in Suburban Station (now, gone from there many years) called "Hanscombs" or "Hanscomes" - I tried to google it thinking I could hardly be the only Philadelphian notstalgic for their baked goods (cupcakes and ladyfingers were specialties) but I came up with nothing.

Anyway...

If my grandpop ("Pop Pop") drove she'd come with a shopping bag full of treats and always had a huge pack of those crazy wax tubes full of sweet, hyper-dyed liquid. I gravitated on those wax sticks for a long time in Mass - so much so, that I think it altered the taste of the communion host in my mouth! I just read a mention of the unnamed wax stick on Miss Ginger's blog and had to mentioon my fascination with them back then as well as today .

Posted at 06:54 pm by brandy101

	Posted by Gary @ 10/19/2007 06:37 AM PDT
	My mother used to love Hanscomes (Hanscombs) or whatever it was called. I lived in Delaware County and I believe we had a store in a place called 69th Street. I remember a product callled raisin tea loaf and the great rice puuding they made. Great memories of the 50's and 60's.

	Posted by sarah @ 04/18/2005 05:36 PM PDT
	I think that's what funerals are all about. Remembering the good stuff and celebrating lives that have been fully lived. It's great that you were able to recall fond memories of people special to you.

	Posted by Miss Ginger @ 04/18/2005 04:59 PM PDT
	Found 'em! "Nik L Nip" http://www.hometownfavorites.com/shop/candy_cat.asp?c=3&p=2

	Posted by Miss Ginger @ 04/18/2005 11:03 AM PDT
	The soda pop bottle shaped ones were called...five and ten, I think....I saw them on hometownfavorites.com one day. I never saw them 'in real life', though, we had the tube ones, like Brandy did. They were delicious.

	Posted by brandy101 @ 04/18/2005 09:38 AM PDT
	No, the ones my grandmom brought were joined-together long tubes, about 6 inches long, with either orange or green liquid inside. You'd break off a tube fromthe pack, bite off the end, and drink the corn-syrup-and-food dye concoction.

	Posted by brandy101 @ 04/18/2005 09:38 AM PDT
	No, the ones my grandmom brought were joined-together long tubes, about 6 inches long, with either orange or green liquid inside. You'd break off a tube fromthe pack, bite off the end, and drink the corn-syrup-and-food dye concoction.

	Posted by Adam @ 04/17/2005 04:07 PM PDT
	Were those wax tubes shaped like little bottles of soda? That's how I remember them...

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