Imitating Phyllis

I said to Phyllis a few months ago, "Lots of us talk about writing. But you actually do it." She laughed but it is true.  I have enjoyed the pictures of family heirlooms that she has blogged about, and the little stories that go with them. 

I don't seem to have a huge passion for the act of writing, but I do want certain things to have been recorded. Things my parents tell me, old stories, thoughts I have. Who knows if anyone will actually ever read them. But I think I could at least enjoy jotting things down after I hear them. I've got a number of word documents in which I've done this, but it's a bit more fun to share it with others don't you think?

So -- Here is what I wrote the other day after visiting with my parents.  This event probably happened in the early 1950s.

Dad says the Fed (i.e. the Young People’s Federation in St. Louis, associated with the E&R church) would put on a musical every year, and the Reinert boys always sang something in it. One year, the musical was coming up and they hadn’t thought of an act yet. So they said they were going to sit down in the living room and not leave until they had their act figured out. They ended up with the song Chopsticks, which they sang in 3 part harmony to the tune of Chopsticks. They song was sung in 4/4 time with the 3-beat pushed.

This topic came up because Dad and Uncle Milton recently sang this song during the coffee hour at Friendship Village. I wish I would have been there. But here are the words that he gave me:

Chopsticks

Intro (verbal? Musical?): When Chinese people go to eat, they eat veg’tables and meat. Chow Mein is a well-known treat – But how do they eat soup?

Chop chop chop chopsticks, for food they do fine tricks, but
don’t ever try them with soup.
You slop slop with chop sticks, the soup drops with chop sticks, the
spots dot the top of your suit.

Now this is what happened when they started lappin’
this watery food with a stick.
Because of this fa-ad, a young Chinese la-ad met
death when his plan didn’t click.

Wong Long the cleaner had found bus’ness leaner and
wondered just what he could do.
He had a brainstorm, the idea took form and
promptly he broadcast the news.

That “’Mel-i-can” Lassies could trim down their chassis
by difficult eating with sticks.
Instead of food inside, soup spilled on the outside and
Wong Long was soon in the chips.

Wong saw a good chance for his shop to advance so
he bought a big Laundromat
With washers and driers connected by wi-res, poor
Wong Long could not long combat.

He tripped on a wi-re, caught his pigtail in the drier, through the
roller of the wringer he was fed.
Poor Wong Long from Hong Kong was not long for this song,
his bus’ness just went to his head.

Now heed to our warning, the idea we’re forming is
never use chopsticks for soup!!


The picture:  Celebrating my Dad's 90th birthday in March 2015, at Steak n Shake
Left to Right:  sis Carol, Dad, Mom, sis Nancy, me, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Milton