Where I live, we had one really nice fruit market to go to. It became a favorite of mine, almost completely replacing trips to a standard grocery store. All they really needed to add was my favorite diet soda, and I would have turned my back completely on grocery stores.
Competetion arrived in the form of another fruit market, reputedly even more upscale. The child loves the second store, and frequents it often. Child is becoming quite the gourmet cook. Child has enjoyed cooking with relish and creativity since she was around 11 years old. It wasn't a chore of hers, she just cooked because she liked it. I can't tell you how many evenings I came home exhausted after work to find that my fridge was empty and learned that every friend of hers had gone home happy after child had cooked a meal for them - sometimes in shifts. On occasion, I came home to brownies or something similar, so that sometimes made up for missing dinners on a regular basis. I never knew what to expect when I got home from work. (Once I arrived to find all my cleaning rags on the front lawn, drying, as they had been tie-died while I was at work. I hid all paint.) Child has worked in nice restaurants since she was a young teen, and has picked up some information and skill along the way. Currently she is a bartender in a well-loved national chain of Chinese American food. Her creativity oozed into drink-making, and she loves to make up new concoctions. Hence, the previous two entries and she gave me a few more drink recipes, also.
On to the current story, finally. For Mother's Day, the child was sicker than the proverbial dog, but she was determined to make me a special dinner. She went to the new fruit market and spent 2.5 hours there fighting the crowds, searching the freshest and best ingredients. For dessert, she picked a mignon torte, which her boyfriend and I fought over. It has layers of yellow cake with cream and pieces of fresh fruit between the layers, and many pieces of fresh fruit on top, along with frosting on the sides with fresh coconut. Yum. It was the best cake I have ever had the pleasure to taste.
Today I am making a special birthday lunch for a special friend. I decided that since I know that dessert was exceptionally good, I went there yesterday and bought the same thing. Only it isn't - the fruit are different. Also, the fruit isn't fresh. Whatever we don't eat today will go back - who wants mushy blackberries?
This isn't the story, you are thinking, this is a complaint. You are correct. Here comes the story. Child bought flowers for me on Mother's Day, too. The same day - not even the day before. They were beautiful! Daisies and roses and something purple I can't recall. I brought them home, did all the right things, and went to bed. The next morning, the daisies, which should last much longer, were hanging their little heads. Two days later, with fresh water changes and another clip of the stems, the roses weren't perky at all.
Being the procrastinator I am, I called the fruit market on Friday or so. I explained the problem. They asked me to take in the receipt. I reminded them that it was a gift, and child shops with cash only and likely did not keep it, although I had verified that she did get them at that store. She said yes, because she always gets flowers there because they are so fresh and last so long. I offered to take them the flowers instead, which they agreed was fine. I grabbed my now-dried flowers from the vase, trimmed them again, and stuck them in a plastic shroud. I drove the ten miles to get to the store - my first visit there.
The lady at the service desk started to try to argue with me, but I only explained the facts, then handed her the bag. She looked in, apologized, and she suggested I return the next day when a shipment of fresh flowers would arrive. I was standing there, holding on to the edge of the countertop to avoid totally losing my balance due to vertigo and said that wasn't going to happen. I explained why, and she suggested I go pick out something, but she could not guarantee the freshness. I said I understood, but would appreciate if she picked them out for me. She came back with a dozen roses and a beautiful mixed bouquet that would make anyone smile. Their helpful grocery carts have little flower holders in them, so I stuck the flowers in there and decided to do some shopping, since the store is supposed to be so grand and I was low on a few items.
I leaned into the cart for balance and tried to peer over the paper wrapped around the flowers. I finally had to fold the paper down a bit in the interest of visibility. Icannot say I was that impressed with most of their items. They particularly have little in the way of breads. I managed to snag some fresh carrots, complete with greenery attached. I love fresh fruit and veggies, since I spent many large chunks of my childhood summers on my grandparents farm, giving a small helping hand to the farm chores. I had no idea that tomatoes could come wrapped from a grocery store. I was used to them still warm from the sun, eaten immediately.
Due to the weakness in my hands after the 25-year belated carpal tunnel surgery, I often buy my fruit already cut up. I found some attractive containers of fruit, and grabbed two. One was oranges and grapefruit, cut crosswise. Pretty little circles of fruit - I looked forward to that for breakfast in the morning. I also located some mushroom gnocchi. I perhaps had a few other items, but mostly they were obviously not for one recipe I was planning. They were odds and ends to fill in my pantry.
I decided to check out their extensive beer offerings and thought I had grabbed a nice seasonal beer, but it was late and I was tired and it's hard cider, which I do not like. *sigh* That was my own fault.
I staggered on to the checkout to a very nice, yet obviously smartass, bright high school boy. He smiled at me. I smiled back, thinking, "nice manners, well taught young man." He looked in my cart, smiled deeper. I wondered? He gave me a very knowing look. "Have a special evening planned?"
I had flowers, phallic looking veggies, and pretty fruit, plus an adult beverage.
I laughed all the way home.
