WEEKLY MENU 05.07.23
The Weekly Menu 05.07.23 celebrates one of the best parts of the school year: graduation.
We’re prepping for Baby Boy’s college graduation (I can’t believe it either) during the Weekly Menu 05.07.23, which got me thinking about the pomp and circumstance of graduations and how everyone dresses for the big day. I think my all time favorite graduations were the kindergarten ones – the students marched in, sat down and we were out in about 20 minutes. After some punch and a cookie or two, of course.
In honor of his current accomplishments, here’s a picture of Baby Boy (and his proud parents) at his kindergarten graduation, oh, a few years ago:
Hopefully we can get a picture with him wearing the same smile when he wears the mortarboard this year. Speaking of mortar boards, how did that goofy little hat/topper/identifier come to be?
Mortarboard caps are thought to have been created in the 15th century, as part of an evolution from a hat type known as a birettas which was used by Catholic clerics and professors. The distinctive square shape of a mortarboard is believed to signify a book, chosen in recognition of scholarly achievements. However, the name mortarboard actually comes from the flat board used by bricklayers to lay mortar. Thus, the name of the widely accepted graduation hat also represents the mortar board of a master workman.
Harcourts
This year will be the first time Baby Boy has worn a mortarboard since kindergarten. Although a fair number of high schools wear them for graduation, his did not. The then all-boys Catholic school in Erieland (Cathedral Prep) as well as the all-girls Catholic school in Erieland (Villa Maria Academy) each had their own, very distinctive, graduation attire. When Baby Boy graduated high school, all the members of his class wore white dinner jackets, which was a smidge odd, as the graduation took place mid afternoon, but they did look very handsome.
The girls attire was something else entirely. We (did I mention I went to the all-girls school? It’s where I learned all the good swear words) wore formal (long) white dresses. They were very demure, of course. And all white.
Nothing but white.
Unless you were bucking the system and making a statement, which one of my best friends did. Her dress had a beautiful dark blue sash, which was completely and absolutely against the rules. Alas, her entire dress was held up by it, so it couldn’t be simply removed. What to do?
The school had to decide if she was allowed to walk with the blue or if she had to sit out graduation. She was very (very) far up the class rank totem pole, and may have even had a speaking part in the ceremony ~ it was a quite a while ago ~ so I don’t really remember all the particulars. Something helped the final decision, and she wasn’t really much of a rebel (the pink zipper on her heather blue cardigan notwithstanding) so she was, after much tittering among the administration, allowed to walk.
Score one for the rule-breakers!
Why were we wearing the white gowns? Back in the day, many of the graduates from the all-girl school went on to enter the convent. The white dress meant they could wear the dress again when they took vows. (That vow of poverty kicked in early.) We didn’t have anyone entering the convent our year, in case you were wondering.
The all-boys and the all-girls schools merged a year or so ago. I wonder if they’re thinking of mortar boards going forward? Gowns all around? Or tasteful dinner jackets for the win?
What does this have to do with the Weekly Menu 05.07.23?
Not much. We’re eating out of the pantry and/or the freezer on Sunday – because Mama doesn’t feel like going to the grocery store. That’s why the chopped salad is meatless: we don’t have any salami in the fridge. It never lasts long.
On Monday, the weather is (finally) supposed to be better, which means Bert gets to man the grill! Of course, I’ll have him at it again on Monday when we have simple grilled chicken, rice and Rainbow Veggie Skewers. There’s some prep, of course, but then he gets to do all the heavy lifting.
On Tuesday, we’re stretching the meat with Beef and Black Bean Burritos. Every little bit helps with the price of beef being what it is. Thursday, we’re bringing the No-Fry Fried Rice back into the line-up. We had it as a side last week, and it was so delicious, and so easy, we figured, why not? I’ll slice some beef up, and sauté it with a little soy sauce before mixing it into the rice.
Baby Boy is our sausage machine, so we’re having (probably grilled) Sausage Hoagies on Friday night to celebrate him being home.
WEEKLY MENU 05.07.23
