I miss wax paper. I discovered this longing recently when trying to recreate a freezer cake that my mother made in the late 60s and early 70s. It was a staple in the home of my youth, and one of two freezer cakes my mother gave as an option for our birthdays. One was affectionately known as the “ice cream cake”—not to be confused with the commercial, soft serve cakes that had yet to be invented; the other was the “chocolate cookie cake”—which consisted of two ingredients— whipped cream and chocolate wafers.

    With a half-family reunion coming up, I decided to recreate both, since to my knowledge none of us has had one of these delicacies since my mother died almost 20 years ago. The ice cream cake was a snap, as the requisite four ingredients were easy to obtain. Well, I admit to substituting Bosco® Chocolate Syrup with Hershey’s but my mother did, too. Much to my good fortune, Nabisco’s ‘Nilla® Wafers were stocked at my grocery store.

    But in searching for the ingredients for the chocolate cookie cake, I found Nabisco had left me hanging. I could not find FAMOUS ® Chocolate Wafers anywhere in the store. Much chagrined, I wandered to the baking aisle and had similar poor luck in finding Reynolds Cut-Rite® Wax Paper. I left empty-handed.

   My sinking fear was that both were discontinued. Had the simple chocolate wafers been replaced by swankier cookies because no one makes freezer cakes anymore? Did plastic wrap edge out wax paper, this once important staple of my mother’s kitchen not to mention my playground?  Who hasn’t used a tear of waxed paper to grease a slide? I have fond memories of my school lunches of cream cheese and jelly sandwiches which were always tucked neatly inside a wax paper sandwich bag. After eating, the wax bag accompanied me out to recess so I could sit on it when I took my turn down the aluminum ramp.

   What was strange was the discomforting feeling that overcame me. It was illogical really, but I truly felt that part of my childhood had been erased. It was as if some thief snuck into my past and ripped out pages of my happy memories. I was threatened with the truth: The cookie cake might be something my progeny will know about only through my foggy childhood tales.

   As I is my habit in times of crisis, I turned to the Internet for comfort and direction. It didn’t take long to realize I was not alone in my turmoil. I was surprised that so many had enjoyed the cake I believed was my mother’s invention. I discovered it is formally called the “Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll” and those commenting on the sites were equally distressed in not being able to handily find chocolate wafers. Wax paper enthusiasts—those who hadn’t migrated to parchment—were equally as upset. I contacted Nabisco and Reynold’s and both emailed me a list of local stores.

   I breathed a sigh of relief. My childhood is intact.