"Coming to Michigan on business?"
"I'm going to be in the area, and I thought I would stop by and see you."
I subsequently learned that she was going to be in Harrisburg, PA. Harrisburg PA is NOT "in the area" for Ann Arbor. It takes about 10 hours of driving to go from my house to my sister's house in NJ. Harrisburg is about 2 hours into the ride - only 8 more hours to go!
When people learn that you have cancer, they want to do things for you: drive you to chemo or doctor's appointments, make tasty treats, give you books on how to lick cancer by changing your diet. My next door neighbor actually mowed my lawn for me - which mortified me to no end. (A man who can't take care of his lawn is hardly a man at all, is he?)
Two days before Mary was scheduled to arrive, she called again. "I went on Friendly's web-site and found the closest one to your house. What kind of Fribble do you want?"
Mary and I share an abiding love of Friendly's. Whenever I go to NJ, a stop in Friendly's is always on the agenda. For example, when my nephew John got married, Mary and I convinced our families to stop at Friendly's, where we got Friendly Franks and ice cream. Please keep in mind that this was on the way to an Italian wedding reception, a bacchanal not seen since Roman times, and you will realize how ludicrous this course of action was.
Now, I happen to know that the closest Friendly's is about an hour away. I contemplated what a Fribble would look like after an hour in a hot car.
"Mary, it'll melt."
"I've got a cooler. I figured I could get some dry ice or something."
I pondered this a moment, and said "You know, what I would really like is a Jim Dandy dish".
The Jim Dandy is the ultimate expression of the ice cream confectioner's art. Five scoops of ice cream, three toppings, a banana, whipped cream, chopped nuts and topped off with a marachino cherry. It is presented in a glass bowl not unlike a heavy duty brandy snifter, shouting to the world that this is no ordinary confection, but five thousand calories, a diabetic coma, a root canal and a heart attack all rolled into one. I figured that at least the glass bowl wouldn't melt.
Two days later, Mary arrived at our house. From her insulated lunchbox she pulled a strawberry Fribble. And then, from her knitting bag, she pulled a Jim Dandy dish.
"It's still got Friendly's crud on it!", she said brightly. She then went on to tell the following story, while I sucked contentedly on my Fribble:
"I asked the woman at Friendly's if they ever sold Jim Dandy dishes. She brought one over and set it down in front of me, and went off to make the Fribble. She came back a couple minutes later with the Fribble. She looked at me, and then at the Jim Dandy dish that was still on the counter. 'You don't get it, do you?', she sighed."
My sister is as straight as an Eagle Scout and church camp. She is not meant for a Life of Crime.
"Get what?"
"'They'll never miss it. Do you have a bag to put it in?'" I held up my knitting bag. Two seconds later, it was in the bag, and I ran out the door. The whole way to the Michigan border, I looked in my rearview mirror, waiting for the police car's flashers."
Two gallons of premium ice cream - $10.
One pint of strawberries for strawberry topping - $2
One bag of chopped nuts - $2
Organic bananas - $4
Marachino cherries - $6
Whipped cream - $3
Having your sister drive eight hours out of her way, and embark on a Crime Spree in Ohio to bring you a dirty dish - priceless.
Why not choose a restaurant that offers a diverse food under one roof? Friendly's restaurants are ideal for folks who want to try a variety of cuisines. You will be able to examine a variety of food items. They serve a variety of desserts. They are also famous for their ice cream cakes. They are the ideal way to cap off a fantastic meal. It is strongly advised that you include a dessert at the end of your dinner.
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