I picked up my last
farm share portion on Wednesday. It was a pretty good haul and inspired me into
all kinds of culinary enterprises. That night we had Swiss chard sautéed with
mushrooms and roasted red onions with rutabaga. Both were glorious. Thursday
night I made Italian wedding soup with the big head of escarole I’d brought
home – also a success.
Still, we did
need a few more vegetables so today I went to one of my favorite places, a
local farm stand on steroids. I imagine it once just sold apples or pumpkins,
but these days it offers a selection of wines, a whole aisle of gluten-free
products, an excellent deli, and oh yes, vegetables.
I carted my
loot to the check-out counter where I drew a cashier I’ve seen before. She’s a
woman of a certain age (or past) with Morticia-length brown hair, stark white
bangs, and capital P personality. She greeted me with enthusiasm and joked
about my butternut squash’s refusal to stand upright but the mood went downhill
from there.
She had
difficulty with the register, since it was driven by fingerprint and she was
wearing a latex glove. My sunny mood on this beautiful autumn day began to dip
as she launched into the explanation for the glove.
There’s apparently “all kinds of things” going
on in the fruit-producing countries, so it was anyone’s guess what was coming
in. My mind immediately turned to the grapes I’d snitched 5 minutes before
right out of their bag.
Next, she informed me that there
are drugs on dollar bills, and not only that, “some virus is out there killing
little kids. Six-year-olds are dying!”
By now, thank heaven, my purchases
were bagged and paid for and I eased out of there as she continued her diatribe
with the unsuspecting woman in line behind me.
Amazing, aren't they. My newly acquired next door neighbor has the same DNA. So did my brother. So does my brother-in-law. So good not to live in their skin.
ReplyDeleteThe world is full of those who live their lives on conspiracy theories. Until you see people dropping dead on the streets I would just live my life normally and try to avoid the crazies.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
ReplyDeleteMorticia shouldn't be depressing. Really she shouldn't.
The day I read that toothpaste has been associated with mouth cancer was the day I gave up. I am reasonably careful, but I refuse to live in a bubble.
Isn't it a delight the things folks want to share with us.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I do hate running into those kind. When first learned Bob's immune system was very compromised we were told he should eat no fresh vegetables, no unpeeled fresh fruit, no public transportation an avoid crowds. I can only worry about so much. I have a sister-in-law who lives a miserable life because she's paranoid about everything that goes in her mouth. Not me.
ReplyDeleteEvery once in awhile we get caught with some loon. Once you're there you can't get away. They're irrational.
ReplyDeleteThere's always something going around and it doesn't pay to be too paranoid when you're working in a food industry. All she needs to do is not touch her fingers to her mouth at all and give her hands a good washing at the end of her shift.
ReplyDeleteRed's comment made me laugh. Bet you felt like you had been poisoned by the time you got out of there.
ReplyDeleteHi Marty, thank you for visiting my blog! I just started rolling my eyes as I continued to read your post. Why is it that those who are out in left field somewhere insist on sharing their beliefs with anyone and everyone? Worry is the thief of joy. (I didn't make that up, I think I stole it from Pinterest!) -Jenn
ReplyDeleteGood grief! You drew a word picture of her that will stick in my head for a long time. Some people revel in stuff like that. Bet you wish you hadn't eaten those grapes, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteYikes, that poor soul is definitely in the wrong job and perhaps in the wrong world. How awful to be consumed with such fear. Can you imagine being her child?
ReplyDeleteOh, brother. She sounds like a character. And not in a good way. What virus is she talking about -- Zika? Weird.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that most of our money has drugs on it. Yuk! That gal must have a phobia...:)
ReplyDelete