Ghosts in the Champaign Streets

Lately when I drive around Champaign I am haunted by all the buildings I knew that are now gone.  More are lost all the time.  I drive down a street and remember what was there and I can’t believe how much is missing.  I came to town 28 ½ years ago though…. so OF COURSE  things have changed.  But these memories are just floating in front of my mind more lately.  I guess there’s something about the process of watching someone ready herself to die that makes you look toward the past as well.

I was sitting here reading the newest issue of Bon Appétit (why don’t I just subscribe so I don’t pay a fortune for it?  I guess because it’s such a treat to see it at the store and bring it home….).  I turned to a recipe and saw that it called for 3 tablespoons of malted milk powder and I immediately felt almost teary.  Why?  Well, I don’t know exactly but I know that it brought back these strong memories of going to Vriner’s when I was just 18.  Whoosh…. sitting in my living room and then all of sudden I was 18 and exploring downtown Champaign finding an old, almost abandoned, cityscape.  It was in the waning days of old Mr. Vriner’s time.  He would close mid afternoon although he always told me friends and me that if we knocked he would let us in.  And he apologized for not having malts----said if we brought some malted milk powder in he’d make us a malt.  We made do with milkshakes though.  They were absolutely amazing.  I always liked sitting in the booth that had the Green River sign over it.  He told us if we wanted a banana split all we had to do was bring a banana but I never did.

So something about that recipe calling for malted milk powder just brought the past forward to me.  And it made me sad that Mr. Vriner isn’t back there in Vriner’s and I can’t be thrilled to be asked into the back to watch them roll out the candy canes on the big marble slab.  And yet the Vriners still make candy canes on that big marble slab---not in the same place but I would imagine with the same love. 

So why does change make me so sad?  I know things change.  I just wish they wouldn’t change quite so much.