Early Childhood Memories
"Chocolate on the Black Market for 20 Francs!"
by natalie.d (12) and rebecca.mcl (12)

Mrs Adami answers in detail

Lori Adami's early childhood memory: Mrs Adami remembers at Christmas time during the War, you usually got something home made or knitted and if you were fortunate enough you might receive a bar of chocolate. Half of the time, they didnÌt realise it was Christmas until they went to Church or read the newspaper. For Christmas dinner they usually had chicken, some vegetables and a pudding. There were no decorations or Christmas trees because of the restrictions. About Lori Adami's early childhood memory: Mrs Adami lived in Belgium, which was an occupied country, during the Second World War. She told us that at nine oÌ clock every evening there was a curfew. She also told us that you had to be very careful about what you said about the Germans because, if you were caught, you would be sent to a camp. There were food shortages in Belgium too and she remembers going to the farm to collect butter, which she had to carry in the hood of her coat not just because she was riding her bike, but because you could be stopped by the German Police. Once she carried eggs in the hood and a friend tapped her on the back and smashed the eggs. She told us about buying a bar of chocolate on the ÏBlack Market for 20 francs (about 2+ today, worth much more then!). At Christmas time during the War, you usually got something home made or knitted and if you were fortunate enough you might receive a bar of chocolate. Half of the time, they didnÌt realise it was Christmas until they went to Church or read the newspaper. For Christmas dinner they usually had chicken, some vegetables and a pudding. There were no decorations or Christmas trees because of the restrictions. Mrs Adami does not like cabbage and she learned to eat her Brussels sprouts by melting butter over them and bread crumbs sprinkled over the top. During the War, Mrs Adami turned twenty one and she received a watch which was very special and she was very lucky to receive it especially during wartime. In 1940, Mrs Adami and her family tried to go to Britain. First they went by car to to get to France to get on the boat, but the car ran out of petrol because it was rationed. Mrs Adami can remember seeing cars for miles and miles which had ran out of petrol. Mrs Adami can remember one morning when she woke up and heard the soldiers singing ÏWeÌre going to bomb England! and they did. When they were liberated by the British Army, Mrs Adami met and fell in love with a British soldier and five months later they were married in Ostend in the Church of Scotland. They had a big white wedding and her husbandÌs business paid for the big dinner at the reception and her mother paid for the dress. Mrs Adami will always remember her most cherished memory when she heard the children singing, ÏLes Americans! at the end of the war.