Big Al, Ducky and the Ornament
It was the mid 1980’s and I was working at the Good Earth restaurant along with my brother Chris, his soon to be wife Teresa and J, a good friend to this day and a whole host of crazies as is common in the restaurant biz. Chris was the prep cook and I was a server. Another person of note was little Joe, also a prep cook. A small Filipino man with a thick accent that was a wonder of speed and precision and simply the best fisherman I’ve ever, ever seen. But I digress…and sooner than usual. While I can, and will, write about little Joe and the rest, today is about the Hannaford Twins.
Jenny and Jackie.
When they breezed into our Good Earth family, it was a breath of fresh air. They were bubbly, and bright and intelligent and quirky and lovely. Jen came in as a server and Jackie as a host…oh, did I mention that they were twins? And 4’9” and 4’8” respectively? I can honestly say I do not remember who was taller; however the older one, by 9 or 10 minutes, if memory serves, is the shorter of the two. And this was a point of distinction. “I’m older” was almost always followed by the other saying, “But I’m taller,” and vice versa. The best thing was that they knew, or sensed if you will, the other saying and/or thinking of saying one of those things and would respond across the restaurant or room, unbidden with the appropriate phrase. Often as a spooky disembodied voice.
But how did they become Big Al and Ducky? I have had a tendency to create nicknames for certain people, and I believe it may have started then and there and it continues through to today. Perhaps, it was also spurred by my brother Chris and his naming of the soups and specials on the back board…Monkey Noodle (turkey noodle) Cream of Weasel (any cream based soup) One Eyed Spitting Zipper Fish (pan seared trout). Now I don’t create names in the vein of Nicky the Wrench or Doug the Head; I try and let them fit the person as they come to me. Some are simple like Hily Bily or Sarah Beara. Others like Cheffy Pants (I couldn’t remember his name the night I met him, but knew he was a chef and now coincidentally he’s married to Hily Bily) and Chicken Liver (my niece) came from somewhere else and fit perfectly. However, let’s let this digression end here and let’s get back to the Hannaford Twins. Jennifer Allen and Jacqueline Forsyth.
Ah, now it becomes clearer.
Ducky came first. It was a simple mistake that I tried to make stick. When I was introduced to her, I thought she said her name was Ducky, not Jackie. When I said, “Nice to meet you Ducky,” she laughed a laugh I remember to this day, a laughing sound and style I recall being shared by Jen, that involved a head tilt, an eye slant and a delightful sound. She was delightful.
Big Al came later, after we all started to get to know each other. It turns out that their middle names are from their grandfathers, Allen and Forsyth. Big names for such diminutive twins, but super coolio and unique. Since Jackie already had her nickname, when I heard this new grandfatherish tidbit, I knew Jen had to be Big Al. The ironical fit was delicious. This irony played out in Jennifer’s life in spades. When I met her at the Good Earth, she had mentioned that she wanted to go into forensics…and she did. Spectacularly. She became one of the foremost expert in fingerprints. So…big nickname, big ambitions and big career for an amazing person, oddly dealing with a small thing, a fingerprint. Oh…it gets better. While looking up her name (is it one or two N’s in Hannaford?), I saw that she has taken her talent as an artist to the next level. She had done some amazing fingerprint work, yes double entendres present, as her first published works of art were her fingerprints making portraits, which are wonderful. She has now expanded this to other mediums and some truly gorgeous works on a grand format. Well worth checking out.
Ok, but what about the ornament. This leads back to the Twins. It was either Christmas 1985 or 1986 and the Twins, being arty and crafty and thoughtful, made ornaments for several of us. Maybe it was for everyone, memory fails at this point. Hollowed out eggs, panoramic eggs if you will, diorama ornaments, mine with penguin avatars of the Twins. It’s my favourite ornament. And the amazing part of it is that I’ve had it for 35 years. And so has my brother. Every year when I put mine out, I’m reminded of the amazing years at the Good Earth. The food. My grounding in restaurant culture. The absolutely huge kitchen and prep space, the size and scope of which I will never experience again. The insane group of people who populated and ran the place. The regulars, a few of them I remember to this day; Ernie Olsen Ph.D CSUS Professor Emeritus leaps to mind. These people were in my life for only a minute or two but the memories of them I cherish and pull out once in a while for a smile or warm remembrance. And the Hannaford Twins. Jenny and Jackie. Big Al and Ducky. They are two I think of each and every year. Jen seems to be doing well and my meager Google skills didn’t bring up anything for Jackie. I hope she is well. For me, Christmas is a better time because of them. Thank you for the ornament.
P. S. Jacqueline and Forsyth may be spelled incorrectly, there were no name tags…and even if there were, they would have had to read Big Al and Ducky or at least Jen and Jackie…so no help on the spelling front at all.
