As a kid, my family made a number of road trips that took us between Northern and Southern California. And while my parents were not the type to stop at the various roadside attractions -- no Trees of Mystery, no Sea Lion Caves, no Winchester Houses; Dad was more likely to put his foot to the floor every time the signs for such things would come up in the hopes that we kids wouldn't notice and start whining to stop -- they were willing to stop and eat.
And for some reason, it seemed we always wound up stopping to eat at Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton, California. So of course I had to stop as part of the GCW Tour.
All I can say is, eh. I mean, it's pea soup, and it's not bad (especially if you spring for some additional pork products to add to the soup base), but I'm not at all sure why it became such a mandatory stop.* But a mandatory stop it was and so in honor of the family tradition I stopped.
That bowl of soup was for you, Mum.
* Of course, I was fairly young at the time so maybe I'm remembering wrong and extrapolating from a single event, but I doubt it. I remember a vacation with Mum, a camping trip with Dad and Sib2, and at least one "move the family to Southern California" trips that involved pea soup. Could be wrong, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Because free refills and growing children. That's why. At least that's why I figure we always stopped there (and, in our case, six children).
ReplyDeleteAlso, it was probably in a good location logistically. Once Harris Ranch opened halfway between SF & LA, that became our go-to stop. Why? Because it was halfway, and when we go there it was time for a stop...even if no free refills.
Makes perfect sense, and is totally consistent with my parent's approach to money (i.e., to avoid spending it whenever possible). And it's funny to hear that ours wasn't the only family that made a destination of Andersen's.
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