It's Rugga Rugga

When we were kids we would constantly bug my sweet-toothed dad for a bite of whatever yummy treat he was snacking on. Usually it was ice cream or grape popcicles, but once in awhile it was something REALLY yummy, like my mom's homemade candy, See's Candy, Christmas fudge, or some other wonderful delicacy.
Only a parent, who constantly has kids that come running the instant they hear the crinkling of a treat wrapper and then climb up all over you asking "whatchugot?", and demanding that you practice what you preach and "share", can truly understand why some things are just too good for children.

There are a few things to be considered.
1.) I don't mind sharing most things, but every now and then, I am gifted a wonderful bit of yummyness that my kids' hyperactive taste buds just won't appreciate. Like pumpkin cheesecake. Turtle cheesecake. Cherry cheesecake. Any cheesecake. Yeah, they'll take a bite and enjoy, but will they really appreciate it they way cheesecake should be appreciated? Most kids place GOOD treats in the same category as kid treats. Would they be equally happy to eat a Tootsie Roll as one of Annie Grover's Ooey Gooeys? Much too good for children.

2.) Another determining factor...how much do I need this treat for my sanity? Is this a therapeutic chocolate fix, or just leftover Halloween candy?

3.) How much of the desired treat is there? This is a big one for me. Were there two brownies on the plate or 12? Sometimes I just don't have a square to spare. That's when the kids get chocolate graham crackers and run happily back to play.

As children get older, they might not be able to fully appreciate the goodness that you are eating, but with time, they will understand the magnitude of how important it is to you. The fact that another does not WANT to share the item in question makes it much much more desirable to a child.

My dad found that the solution to this problem was to make the treat sound less desireable when we approached his plate with interest.

"Hmmm...Whatchugotthere?" we would ask

"Oh, you wouldn't like this. It's Rugga-Rugga." he would reply, placing an emphasis of total disgust on the word "rugga-rugga"
.
"Rugga-Rugga? Ew! Gross!" and off we went, while my dad sat and finished his bowl of blackberry cobbler topped with french vanilla ice cream in peace. Rugga-Rugga indeed.

He might have learned this art from his own parents....who were experts at deciding who got orange marmalade ice cream, and who got trail mix for dessert.

By the time we discovered that Rugga-Rugga=really really good stuff, we were old enough to appreciate that it indeed was good stuff, and were therefore graced with a bite, or two, or three.

I made the realization when I was asked to pass the treats over, and was told that it was just "Rugga-Rugga", but I could clearly READ the words ALMOND ROCCA on the can.

Then one year, we discovered this holiday snack mix, that we had no name for. It's sweet, it's nutty, it's chewy, it's crunchy, it's coconuty, it's full of butter and sugar,

...it's Rugga-Rugga.