I am nothing if not loyal.
And I have never forgotten my roots.
It's ironic that I now often find myself pining for the simple life of my childhood as a kid growing up in Oxford, Pa. That's because for most of our teen years many of us who lived there wanted nothing quite as desperately than to get out, kick the dust of that little hick town off our feet and set the world on fire. What can I say? We were kids. We liked to put our little town down. Little did we know.
Some famous things originated in and around Oxford, Pa.
On Monday in honor of Labor Day I noted the old Ardmore Orange Factory, which made those little plastic containers of juices used in hospitals. I spent one summer toiling there. Let's just say it was not my favorite job.
Just down the road a bit in Nottingham, Pa., sits another little company you might have heard about.
It started in what amounted to a man's garage. Today, Herr Foods Inc. - and of course their iconic potato chips - is a sprawling complex at the end of old Baltimore Pike.
My kids still don't believe me when I point up at the billboards and tell them I went to school with that guy.
"That guy," of course, is the face of Herr Foods. Ed Herr.
We were classmates. Played on the football team together. We did some other things as well. I won't ever forget how Ed would get us hot chips literally as they came off the line in his dad's little operation.
I don't think they can do that now.
But I manage to uphold my end of the bargain.
As my wife would be all too willing to testify, my eating habits are not the best. I don't eat a lot during the day at work, then manage to gorge myself when I get home at night. My favorite habit is to walk in the door, head straight for the kitchen cabinet, grab a big bag of Herr's chips, and start stuffing them in my mouth. No, it probably won't be recommended in Health Digest.
Eventually my wife comes over and grabs the bag and chides me, "You're not going to eat that whole bag, are you?"
All of this is to note that my old pal and his family business have racked up another pretty big honor.
Every year USA Today creates something they call the Food Factory Top 10 List. It rates the tours offered at any number of business entities.
Guess who came out on top this year? Yep, the tour offered at the Herr's Snack Factory was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
You can read all about it here.
The tour of the Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, Pa., came in at No. 4 on the list.
Here's the weird thing: I've never been on the tour. My wife always accompanied my kids on their school tours, and I of course instructed her to say hi to relatives and friends from town who work there.
But I bet they don't get hot chips right off the line.
Congratulations, Ed.
Another big honor for a little town.
Yes, I grew up in Oxford. And I could not be prouder.
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