Food Memoir

Julia Coda

Mrs. Herzog

Food In Lit - 1

28 February 2025

Beginning to End

After waiting all winter for May 24th to come, there is nothing better than biting into a fried oreo from the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ. Personally, I think the wait makes it 20 times better. Summer nights with your friends, bonfires and more fried oreos are in your future. As soon as you get on Route thirty five, the windows roll down and the salty air sweeps away your worries, your final report card along with it. Once you hit the police station and Bben Ffranklin, take a left and head straight toward the water. The crosswalk ticks while you wait at the red light, just a couple more minutes until you can plant your feet in the sand. The light turns green, and The Old Salt comes into view. The house that raised you welcomes you with familiar faces in and out. The waves crashing on the beach confirm you are where you are meant to be. 

There are many different reasons why this place holds a special place in my heart, but something I specifically look forward to every year is the food. While almost every food eaten down at the shore is memorable, the treats I wait for all year long are fried oreos. The sounds, the smells, and especially the moments that I experience during the summer in Lavallette stay with me all year, and help me keep pushing until I get there again. Growing up, the beach season always kicked off on memorial day weekend and ended on labor day weekend.

Seaside's fried delicacies envelope your senses the minute you step on the boardwalk.. Now you can get a fried oreo at almost every food shack on the boardwalk, but all of the locals know the Jersey Shore Cafe off of Fremont Ave makes the best ones. The preparation of fried oreos is actually very simple:, deep fried oreos in pancake batter. Although it is so simple it can be made at home, it is the environment when eating a fried oreo that makes the desert so memorable. All winter long I wait for the perfect warm combination of sweet and savory deliciousness, and as soon as I am at the boardwalk down at the shore, my happiness starts.

The crunchy savory taste only lasts so long, making its final appearance on Labor day weekend. A fried oreo is perfect for any occasion, whether reuniting with your friends at the beginning of the summer or tears and goodbyes at the end of the season.