Holy Meatballs, Batman
August Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Food”
This meal would make Batman hungry.
In the “Batman” television series from the 1960s, the caped crusader’s junior sidekick, Robin, peppered him with countless holy exclamatory phrases. If he had joined my wife and me at an Italian restaurant for our recent 25th wedding anniversary dinner, he would have declared, “Holy meatballs, Batman!” when he saw my dish of spaghetti and meatballs.
My mother was an excellent cook. She satisfied my four brothers and me with dishes like chili con carne, beef stroganoff, Hungarian goulash, roast beef, family steak, and spaghetti. Meals also included healthy portions of vegetables and starches. In addition, no one could compete with her French apple pie and rhubarb tort.
Whenever asked what my favorite dish was, I answered, “Spaghetti,” without hesitation.
Our anniversary restaurant’s menu featured black spaghetti with shrimp. The restaurant’s cooks prepare the near-black pasta by adding squid ink to its dough.
After considering black spaghetti and other options, I ordered old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. The classic is still hard to beat, and Robin would agree.
I dedicate this story to my mother, Margaret, who recently turned 93. She no longer cooks, leaving food preparation to others.
Buzzfeed has documented 359 of Robin’s exclamations from the “Batman” series here.
