AHERO Summer 2021 | Page 58

ALL IN 4AHERO

Let Me Tell You How We Crispys Got Our Name

More years ago than I care to count , a group of us old warhorses would get together every Thursday at our favorite morning breakfast place in For Walton . One by one , we ’ d tromp or hobble in , clap this or that one on the back as a greeting to all , and plunk ourselves down . The chairs were comfortable , the atmosphere was easy , and the food was A-OK . SO THIS IS KIND OF ABOUT THAT FOOD
When our favorite waitress appeared – a no-nonsense gal with a sharp wit – we ’ d all order eggs and bacon . Understand : Some of us liked our eggs scrambled , some liked them fried over easy and some liked the white done to a toasty curl at the ends but the yolks still impossibly soupy .
And every once in a while someone wimped out on a jiggly thing they called a “ poached ” egg .
To each his own , I always say . But one thing we had in common was , we liked our bacon sizzled to near-but-not burnt . A little crunchy , even . I mean fried to within an inch of its life but still recognizable as edible food ( I won ’ t say healthy ). Our waitress would come to the table with her trusty order-pad , scribble stuff nobody really had to say , and wait patiently for at least one or two voices in the pack to inevitably instruct about preparing the best part . “ MAKE THAT BACON CRISPY ”
Then came the day when this smart lady just stood there , not even scribbling . Someone started to say , “ And make tha – ” But she interrupted . “ OK , I got it . “ Make that bacon crispy .”
“ Yeah ,” we said , nodding as one .
She pocketed her order pad , folded her arms , and looked around the table at us all . “ Y ’ all don ’ t have a group name , right ?” she asked . We glanced at each other . One of us – I don ’ t remember who , or even if I ’ m remembering right – mumbled something like , “ Well … we ’ re all Veterans .”
She rolled her eyes . “ So are millions of other brave Americans . So here and now I ’ m naming you the Crispy Warriors .”
Again , we exchanged a look , like , really ? But the name had already started to settle in . “ People might think we were burnt in the war ,” I think some foresighted fellow might have cautioned ( a true prediction , as it turned out . People did and still do ask that ).
“ So what ?” another guy said . Nobody had an answer , and I think none of us cared . Crispys we were .
True story . More or less . ~ Frenchy

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58 AHERO MAGAZINE SUMMER 2021