The Dessert - Take It!

Growing up, ethnic food to us was not Mexican food or Chinese food.  It was Czeck or Bohemian food.  Things like beef noodle soup, breaded pork tenderloin, roast pork, beef with dill gravy, bread dumplings with gravy, sweet & sour cabbage, sauerkraut, homemade rye bread, and yes, kolacky.  Ok, not the healthiest, but oh so yummy.

Breaded Pork Tenderloin
Image search from Google found at LTHForum.com

Back in the day,  "Little Europe" was a restaurant that we would visit often with my parents and my grandmother.  You could get all this food - soup, full dinner, dessert, and an unlimited pot of coffee or coca cola for less than $10.  Also, we never went home without a doggie bag, because the portions were so generous.  The food was SOOOOO good and it was all homemade.  Truly homemade, from scratch.

Bread Dumplings
Image search from Google found at chateaufoods.com

On one of our visits to the restaurant, it was just me, my mom, my grandma (mom's mom), and my dad.  We proceeded to have the exact dinner I described above.  I remember sitting there like it happened yesterday.  At the end of the meal, the waitress came to our table and asked us, "What kind of kolacky would you like?"  Grandma began: "Oh, I'll have the apricot kolacky."  My mom:  "I'll have the cheese kolacky."   Me:  "I'll have a the poppy seed kolacky."  My Dad:  "I'm too full.  No dessert, thank you."

Kolacky
Image search from Google found at orlandparkbakery.com

You can only imagine what was going through the minds of my grandma, my mom and me: 

What?  No dessert?  Are you crazy?  It's kolacky, it's homemade, it comes with your meal, and heck, you know one of the not-so-svelte women at your table will eat it! 

So, without warning, without planning, and in complete unison, we shouted at my poor dad, "TAKE THE DESSERT!"  This was just so spontaneous and as soon as we shouted it out, the three of us gals looked at each other with shocking looks on our face - we could not believe that we said the same thing at the same exact time.  I think my dad jumped out of his chair when we heard the three of us yelling at him to take the dessert.  Then we all just started laughing.

So, whenever you are offered a good, homemade dessert that comes with your meal, be sure to take it.  More importantly, extended that dinner with your favorite family members and have dessert, because someday they will no longer be around and you will certainly wish you had more dessert time with them.

P.S. And my dad and the dessert?  Well, he was one wise man - he followed our advice and took the dessert.