The Essence of Collinwood

In order to describe the essence of Collinwood, requires a backdrop of the time period of my childhood, from the 40s to the 50s
The 40s
were days of national patriotism when citizens were asked and were more than willing to sacrifice, for the greater good of the country, during the duration of World War 11
Rationing was universal throughout the country, because produce and products were vulnerable to destruction from ocean shipping, due to the activity of Axis, but mainly German submarines
Great Britain (UK, England), Russia (USSR, Soviets), and America (US) were allies
The axis were a group led by Germany, Italy and Japan
Although in theory GermanU-boats were useful fleet weapons against Allied Naval Forces, in practice they were most effectively used in an economic-warfare role, enforcing a naval blockade against Allied shipping
http://www.uboataces.com/
Food booklets were distributed with coupons for such rationed items as sugar, coffee, butter, etc.
Householders had to register with their local shops.
The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his registered customers
Once items were purchased, the shopkeeper would cross off and subtract the relevant points used for that product for that month
The rules also stipulated, which underscored the the grim early months of the war, as follows:
If the shop where people were registered was bombed, they would then need to register with another shop in order to use their ration book, in order to buy their goods

Neighborhood stores were within walking distance of all city Collinwood blocks
Zucco’s, Cannarozzi’s, Galuppo’s, Petti’s, were within ours, but
Quagliata’s was our store where our family, like most families carried an account, usually settled at the end of the month
Angelo Quagliata once offered me free ice cream, if I would allow one of his 5 year old twin boys, to” punch you in the mouth, as hard as he could” without crying
They reminded me of the Katzenjammer Kids
http://www.geocities.com/~jimlowe/katzies/comix.html
I let that opportunity go by
During this time, the United States government encouraged the American people to participate in scrap drives.Citizens were asked to turn over to the government items that would prove to be useful in the war effort.These items included products made out of rubber and most types of metal, kitchen fat, newspapers, and rags, abong other items. The government then had various industries recycle these products into weapons and other items necessary for the war effort
Perhaps the greatest item collected was kitchen fat, an item necessary to produce glycerin
Glycerin was a vital component of bombs and other explosives
A railroad incident occured around 1939, just a few blocks south, towards London Road & Euclid
Lo and behold, livestock cars were upended and released most of it's panicked cargo of swine
Most of the locals were immigrants, or first generation Americans, and were very fond of pork products, and were familiar with butchering livestock back on their farms, in the old country
Needless to say, sausage and bacon were in grateful abundance, for months thereafter