Sixteen One-Gallon Bottles of Mincemeat on the Shelf

What my Dad taught me about maintaining his principles at all cost

Hey, I’m an old guy for sure, but I do remember stuff. I remember this from sixty-six years ago.

On a Tuesday late afternoon, my Dad and I jumped in the pickup truck and drove to Root’s Country Market and Auction. Root’s has been in business since 1925. Why late afternoon? By then the auctioneers are tired, so the bids are low.

The auctioneer had four boxes of jars of Mincemeat. No one bid, but Dad did. Yes, we now owned sixteen one-gallon jars of sweet Mincemeat. What on God’s green earth were we going to do with sixteen gallons?

You asked, What is Mincemeat?

I’m so glad you asked.

Here is the short version of the ingredients.

Mincemeat is a liquid mixture. It has chopped dried fruits and spices with pieces of beef, beef suet, and other ingredients. I’ll get to the ‘other ingredients’ later.

Mincemeat pies are a traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday treat. It’s what makes the Pennsylvania Dutch country special.

Let’s get back to my story

The Mincemeat, as mentioned above, joined the string beans and tomatoes in the truck.

At home, we placed the sixteen one-gallon Mincemeat bottles on our shelves in the root cellar.

Early the next morning Dad and I rushed to the Root Cellar to view our unique buy.

That’s when Dad read the lists of ingredients on the jars of Mincemeat. The other ingredients: Rum and Brandy.

I remember his words. We can’t have this in our house, he said. Us two standing in our Root Cellar was sixty-six years ago.

Later after school, I helped my Dad dump sixteen one-gallon bottles of Mincemeat in the little stream behind our house. A tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. They have been trying to clean up the Bay ever since. We put the sixteen empty bottles back on the shelf.

So, what’s the life principle I learned?

My parents were strict teetotalers. No alcoholic drinks in our house, period. Dad’s parents and brothers drank beer, whiskey and anything else containing alcohol. His three brothers were drunk as adults almost every day. As far as I know, my Dad never sipped alcohol. He had seen the results of heavy drinkers and did not want to begin.

Of course, I have no idea how much he paid for the jars of Mincemeat. I’m sure the cost did not matter at all in his decision to get rid of the Rum-and-Brandy-laced Mincemeat.

Principle mattered more

Living a life guided by high standards matters more to me. No cost is too high to lower my stardards.

I like this quote by Thomas Jefferson in explaining the matter of principle.

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.

Please understand, I’m no righteous goody two-shoes. I’m not suggesting I never stray, but when I do, my Dad’s example pulls my strings.

My Dad taught me not by words but by his action. I have a tear in my eye as I write this in memory of my Dad. He died at eighty-eight years of life. I’ll always be grateful for this lesson.

Thank you for reading my stuff.

Richard

Join The Rich List here to get more wholesome stuff, it’s free.

You having trouble getting enough sleep. Read this, it just might be your ticket to a good night’s sleep.