Ladies Who “Lunch”

September 14, 2011 at 3:21 pm · Filed under Bonding, Restaurants, Shopping

Inside Arden Fair Mall

We get together to see each other, first of all. We get together to shop, secondly. And finally, when we’re famished and need re-fueling, we’ll eat together. We’ve been doing it for decades now – my mom and I – cutting out of school or work early for some power shopping.

When I was school-aged and not yet able to drive, my mom would pick me up from school mid-day for an afternoon of shopping and lunch at one of Sacramento’s major malls (Arden Fair, Country Club or Sunrise, usually). And with each mall came its own dining theme. For instance, at Sunrise we’d eat at the same dark cozy café and I’d order the same dang thing every time – club sandwich. At Arden – which was so different back then than it is now – I recall Carmel Corner popcorn and Orange Julius’ (must have been a late afternoon snack).

It only happened about twice a year, when my mom would pull up in her chariot and rescue me from math, science and P.E. for one day. But during the summer when my cousin Heidi was visiting from L.A., we’d all spend a day in Old Sacramento, shopping and dining like clockwork in the Firehouse’s courtyard… turkey sandwich, no mayo, and a 7-Up.

Just as Sacramento, its shopping venues and dining scene have changed, so have our habits morphed to reflect the times, although not entirely. Yesterday I met my mom in Old Sacramento for some shopping and lunch, and I found comfort in recalling the old and gratitude in the longevity of the ritual.

Whether it’s shopping to enrich our upcoming experiences or lunch to reconnect and reload, sharing our favorite pastime together allows us to not only continually re-bond, but perhaps even strengthen the threads of our existence… This time, I took Mom to Ten 22′s outdoor patio. While it wasn’t the first time I’d been there, I didn’t order the veggie Panini like I usually do. I actually tried something new.

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