Who is the Breadhead?

I grew up watching my dad eat bread at dinner.
He would always have one or two slices of bread
with butter. A lot of times the bread would
have peanut butter on it, which drove my mom crazy
after spending the afternoon cooking dinner.
He'd sit at the table, roast beef, vegetables,
perhaps roasted potatoes and on the side he would
have bread and peanut butter.

I soon picked up the habit of eating bread
with my meal. Some nights I have to say mom
didn't cook such a great meal.
After I picked over the meal I would get up,
take my dishes to the sink, and with a sly move
grab a piece of bread and quickly
spread some butter & peanut butter on before
my mom would see me.....well, I got caught more
than once and never heard the end of it.

My Dad would tell stories of the days when he grew
up in the Great Depression...he would say...
"Back then we didn't have much, stale bread, cold
lard and a little sugar went a long way..."
I said...no way!..."yup, we didn't have much"
my Dad said. I sat listening to stories over the
years with a cringed face, happily growing up in the
60' & 70's not knowing any different.
He had so many stories of the Great Depression
All relating to bread in some way....bread
was there in his life back then.

He also went through this phase in the 70's
of eating bread, peanut butter, with onions.......
I was with him on the bread thing until he started
eating that combo. I wasn't sure if he was
challenging me to eat peanut butter and onions,
or if he was on some sort of gastric tailspin.
I made it once, smelt it, only to chunk it into
the trash.

Bread, a basic but simple food.
The texture and smell of it can be rewarding to the
palette. After years of making bread at home for
family and friends, I still find it fascinating to
see flour water salt and yeast come together and
make bread.

At the bakery I see so many people come in and visit,
talk, and pick-up something to treat themselves after
a hard day at work, or perhaps pick-up a treat
for a friend. There is definitely the
"Sweets" person and the "Breadhead".

So, Who is the Breadhead?
I see them everyday at the bakery buying what
bread I bake that day.

A Breadhead can be put into a few categories:
The Soft
The Crusty
The Enthusiastic ones
and
The Mean Ones

"The Soft" are people who love soft bread.
Very easy going, well mannered, and soft
spoken people. The soft bread means less work,
a quick chew, but enjoys fresh bread with
their meals and will travel far to get good,
soft, bread.

"The Crusty" Are mostly Europeans or from a big
city. They know what crusty bread is, they are familiar
with crusty bread and they know what it means to eat
crusty bread. Very hearty, opinionated folk who will
tell you they love the crusty bread and are very
thankful they found the crusty bread here in Savannah.
The "Crusty" people understand what bread means, they
get the big picture.

"The Enthusiastic Ones" Are people that ask
"What "breads" do you have today?" They want to try
different kinds of bread, but deep down they really
want "The Soft Bread". They ask a lot of questions;
what kind of crust is it, what is the flavor like,
Is it dense, how long will it last, so on and so on
asking you questions until your eyes glaze over.
They really want to try something different, they
really do, but are not ready yet to venture out.

"The Mean Ones" These people are mean.
I don't understand why they eat bread.
They come in, point, and say, "I want that bread."
They just stand there and sneer. If your lucky, you
won't get insulted, but "The Means Ones" can't leave
without saying something mean...even if it's just
to insult you in some way. They take great pride
in ruining your day, or try to.

At the bakery, it's always a fun day seeing all the
different Breadheads come through the door to buy
bread. Life is good when I can sell bread to people
who love bread. Bread has a deeper meaning that
one can't put a finger on...it's there, it's always
been there, in our life, to keep us alive.