Wednesday, June 17, 2026
It’s Wednesday and time for Hodgepodge with Joyce!
1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I’m guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren’t born yet but that’s part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here.
I had just graduated from college, and I distinctly remember sitting in my friend Julia’s apartment and watching it. I think I was in town for a job interview and she still lived in our college town. I had graduated, gone to Mexico for two weeks, was living with my parents and working a waitress job to save money. I had gotten teaching job interview calls while I was in Mexico.
2. What’s your favorite summer salad that isn’t the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?
Potato! I like a good homemade potato salad and I think my favorite is the vinegar based – more like a German potato salad. I also love broccoli salad! Yum! I like salads with strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges.
3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be?
I feel like guys have it rough in some cases. They could get in trouble for holding doors open, right? They could get in trouble for not holding doors open. A part of me thinks they still need to be taught this and a part of me thinks that it’s just human decency for both men and women to hold doors for others. There are so many instances where the person in front of me doesn’t hold the door!
Just to make sure, I looked up the word chivalry. It can also be:
the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak
I think all of these things are still important in modern society but of all persons regardless of sex.
4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about ‘Hawaiian pizza’ aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska?
I think Hawaii. I have never been to either. They are not high on my list for some reason. I do really like ham and pineapple sometimes. I have never had Baked Alaska. It looks incredibly hard to make. It was all the rage in the 70s, I think.
5. World Cup play is happening now…are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches-
–Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle
along with three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)
and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-
You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why.
I’m not really following the World Cup. If I were still teaching, I would have to be up on it! My kids played soccer when they were 4 and Jack told another kid that “his grandma could kick harder than that”. Oh my! That was the end of the soccer career. I think I would choose Canada because the cool weather would be nice in the summer.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I should make potato salad! I have the ingredients to make Mix and Match Mama’s corn salad. My nephew Miles loves it and requested I make it for his graduation party last summer. I am not super inspired to cook, period, but I’m getting it done.
I love a salad with eggs and avocado!
I feel like all meal ideas leave my brain sometimes. I can’t even remember something I was obsessed with and made over and over. Are you like that, too?
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
Hawaii was fun but now that I’ve been I’d pick Alaska.. I’ve been eying some Alaskan cruises as I think that’s the only way I’d really “see” Alaska. We had baked Alaska on our first cruise– the waitstaff walks all at once with them lit up and on fire. I don’t remember being a fan of it though.
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You will have to talk to Marilyn after her Alaskan cruise. My mom went on one and just liked it ok. She was not big into nature, though, so we thought it was an odd thing that she wanted to do. She brought us all moose necklaces.
What a cool presentation!
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I would have thought men in the south would be more chivalrous. I feel like door opening for females is a pretty common thing here which is a good thing. I mean, chivalry in general is good. My mom used to make German potato salad (ain’t no way she was making it with mayo since a jar of mayo never passed the family threshold!!) and of course for a long time I thought that was the only kind of potato salad there was (I don’t think I knew something called “mayo” existed until I was an adult!!) but I prefer the mayo way now that I’ve tasted mayo, lol. I am like you are with meals :).
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It’s honestly mostly women who don’t hold the door when I’m right behind them! Men are usually great about it here.
I like both potato salad ways but I think I like the bacon grease vinegar more and it’s actually really easy to make. My mom loved it, too. There was a festival in my hometown that had a German food booth and she always asked us to bring her some if she didn’t go.
My meals are so lame this week!
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I’m feeling uninspired to cook too and your summer salads made me think of several I like but rarely make. I think I associate Baked Alaska with the 70’s too. I’ve never made one but I do love a flaming dessert : ) I agree we all need to be courteous. There’s a lot of rudeness out there on both sides of the aisle. I guess I think of chivalry (sort of) as when push comes to shove hubs is going to be the one doing the dangerous, scary, or icky thing when necessary lol. He’s going to jump in front of me, push me out of harm’s way…not that it’s ever been necessary but my mind goes there when I hear the word. Have a great day!
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I’m glad it’s not just me! This week’s meals are really lame. I don’t know if I have had a flaming dessert.
I didn’t read the question that way. I am not one that needs bugs removed for me and Tom wasn’t home when Eddie ran all over the house with a dead rabbit and I had to handle it! It was horrible.
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I am actually reading your post on the same day as it was posted! It must be the first time in more than a year! Yay! Summer break!
I agree, it can’t be easy being a dude these days! My girls (and all European girls I would say) are so picky! Guys are supposed to support gender equality (of course) but still be manly and cool… (hard to look cool and mysterious when you are on your way to the recycling station :D)
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I have been wondering about my Swedish fan club president! I thought she grew weary of my drivel.
Happy summer to you! Is it Florida time? Feel free to email me with your newfound free time!
Thank you! They are darned if they do and darned if they don’t.
Bahahaha!
I need an update on what your girls are doing, too!
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Now I want to make potato salad- ha! Thanks for the inspiration. It is funny, you and I are a few of the ones who posted about actually watching that event. I will never forget it.
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Have you done the German one? You brown bacon (cut up) in a skillet and use the grease and it is oh so good! I will never forget it, either. I also will never forget the night Princess Di died.
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I loved your answer to the chivalry question, and I like what you said about that being a thing for all of us, regardless of sex. I also think men can have it hard sometimes (this must be a boy mom thing?), and can’t win no matter what. My sons were raised to be gentlemen, and that hasn’t gone away. I forgot to answer the question with which untraditional salad I would choose! My answer would be chicken salad with celery in it, and maybe even some grapes. Happy Wednesday! It’s my Friday. Woohoo!
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I think boy moms are sensitive to this, yes! I also told my male students that I felt bad for them sometimes and we would get into discussions (with the girls, too). Oh yay! You are totally off tomorrow? Nice! I couldn’t remember what the outcome of that was! I’m excited!
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