How does your meat loaf?

When I was growing up, my mom made meatloaf into a, well, 'loaf.' She'd make it into the shape of a football and bake it in the same black roasting pan everytime. Her meatloaf was always good no matter how she made it. She'd sometimes put rice or stewed tomatoes in it, and she's always use canned tomato soup on top. My dad always enjoyed an 'end piece' and would rave to my mom that "This is the best meatloaf you've ever made" - every time.

As I grew older, I learned there were other recipes for meatloaf. I learned a recipe from a family for whom I used nanny. Theirs called for milk and dry onion soup mix - a recipe I adapted as my own.

When Bobby and I got together, he hated my meatloaf. He hates onion soup mix. He wanted his meatloaf dry and flavorless - just meat in a pan. A pan? Yes, a pan.

Bobby grew up eating meatloaf pressed into a flat pan and then cut into squares like brownies. This was odd to me. But I sometimes make it this way for him - for nostalgia's sake. No onion soup mix - just salt, pepper, bread crumb, Locatelli cheese, and egg and occasionally some ketchup or dry onion flakes. He seems to like it.

So, now when meatloaf comes up in conversation, I ask people "How do you make your meatloaf? In a 'loaf' or in a 'pan'?" The answer is almost always 'in a loaf'. See, I knew the pan thing was odd.
But it all tastes the same no matter how you shape it, I guess.