Down the Rabbit Hole

When I was in preschool, Mommy gave me a red lunch bag with Woodstock and Snoopy prints. I remember being happy because I knew I'd be in school briefly. After all, the bag only had some snacks and a juice box. Back in my senior year of high school (and/or freshman year in uni), on the other hand, I ate more than 20 McDonald's Happy Meals to collect the Snoopy World Tour toys. I was so happy because I got several pieces featuring different traditional attire. Mommy threw those toys out soon after she saw my growing collection; kulatsang  ("junk"), she used to call them. It was a sad day because I had spent a huge chunk of my allowance to get those toys. However, Mommy was teaching me a life lesson at that point (i.e., do not accumulate junk). Suffice it to say that I had encountered Snoopy in various childhood moments. And my encounters with Snoopy did not end there. Decades later, I coincidentally selected a pediatric dentist whose practice features Snoopy and the Pea...

The Jelly Belly factory is a popular destination for families with young children. Tita Babie had good memories of it. Anna recommended riding the choo-choo train. Ate Maddie brings her school-age out-of-town visitors there if schedule permits.  On one of the last warm days of the year, my parents and I took Donan to demystify the Jelly Belly experience. The factory grounds were busy as a fair was going on. We rode the choo-choo train, but it was a letdown after the Tilden steam train experience. We bought a few books about outer space and about Santa Claus in one of the shops. We saw a glimpse of a cultural show. And then, there was the factory tour. It was worth the visit. The self-guided tour wound above the production floor. We saw hoppers, packaging machines, conveyor belts, spraying machines, ingredient pallets, and crates and crates of jelly beans.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rochie Cuevas (@rochiecuevas) The sights all reminded...