Tip-Top made a number of bold claims about their bread. My favorite is the claim shown below – that a person could enjoy a healthy diet eating one orange and all the spongy white bread they want and – nothing more. Don’t get me wrong. I have my share of fond memories of spongy white bread and peanut butter and jelly or bologna aka balonie. It is just that we have moved on, prety much, on the white bread thing.
When I was living in the Coachella Valley in the despairing winter of 1973-1974, Barry and Harriet and Sandy and I wandered the right-wing health-food stores of the valley. In one of these stores we learned that the Hunza people of the Hunza Valley in the Himilayas lived long and healthy lives.
They eat dried apricots. A lot of them. And there is a saying attributed to them – “The whiter your bread, the sooner you’re dead.” I can’t imagine that the meter or rhyme work in their language, Burushaski, which after all has not been shown to be related to any other known language.
But let’s leave the Hunza’s to their dried apricots and check out Tip-Top Bread.
I went to show these images to my friend. He was unpacking the first of several heavy cardboard boxes that Gabby had sent him. Another collection, which my friend needs like he needs a hole in the head. This box was neatly labeled “Musicians with disabilities (not blind or deaf or stuttering).” My friend pulled out about 10% of the albums.
Amazing – another Gabby obsessive collection, given away. But off point. I steered my friend back to these photos of Tip-Top bread. He still likes spongy white bread. I was expecting a positive reaction.
P.S. As I finished this post reporting my friend’s reaction to the bread photos, he brought out one more album.
My friend is not very tall. The album covers obviously affected him. He put on the Doors album and asked if I had any plans tonight.
I didn’t. He suggested re-watching Living in Oblivion. You never have to ask me twice to watch Catherine Keener work. So we have a plan for the evening.