Prunes ... Ah Yes, Prunes

I had a good laugh while reading the Sunday comics this week. Earl Pickles was sharing his prune juice with his grandson, Nelson. Poor guy, that Nelson, he thought Grandpa was drinking grape juice.

The strip reminded me of my Obachan (grandmother) on my mother's side. When she and Ojichan visited us in the '50s, one of the first things I had to buy was a bottle of prune juice. The prune juice helped them with their regularity.

I wondered about that, but accepted that it worked. When they returned to the mainland, they left a partially empty bottle of the juice behind. I tried it, discovered it was okay, then promptly forgot about it.

There used to be a commercial on TV in the '60s (or was it the '70s) with the catchphrase, "Is one enough? Are three too many?" I'd laugh and laugh and laugh, flashing back to old people having a dose of their natural laxative. Then in the '80s (I believe it was), I read an article about the California Dried Plum Board trying to change the image of prunes. They eschewed the word "prunes" and called their product "dried plums."

You know what? Prunes work. About six months ago, I decided to give them a try, and now buy them in large containers.

And I can verify that three are not too many. In fact, it's the perfect number.