[There are comments on this post. I don't know why it says "0 comments." KW]
Hallie wants some gingersnaps to make "Pumpkin Ice Cream Dessert" for the Thanksgiving feast she plans to prepare. Last night she reported that the store was out of gingersnaps. This morning she explained that actually Nick had gone to the store and that he came back to report that the gingersnaps were "picked over." I'm afraid she's at the threshold of the bewildering experiences that occur between husband and wife (or just man and woman) when she sends him to the store. My assessment of the matter at hand: Hallie will have to go to the store and look for herself.
My mother complained of the same dilemma. My dad, a piano teacher, gave lessons in his home studio and often did the grocery shopping just to get out of the house. But my mother complained that he had no intuition with regard to her lists. For example if she wrote "mm," Daddy would come back with a package of M&Ms instead of marshmallows. "Now if I send Charles [her son] with my list," she said, "he comes back with marshmallows. If Charles can understand, why can't your dad?"
Then came the day many years later when she lived in the retirement home and Charles ran into the store for her to get a gallon of milk. Now, Mother became obsessed with checking the date on the milk carton. I guess it made sense. She didn't drink it very fast and would seek out a carton with an expiration date as far in the future as she could find. As Chuck left the car, she said to him, "Remember to check the date." He came back with the gallon of milk – and a package of dates.
One day I was shopping the baking aisle when a gentleman approached me with his wife's list. He was holding a package of lemon Jell-O. "What do you think she wants?" he asked me, showing me the list. It was clear to me she was making a lemon pie and wanted lemon pudding, which I showed him. "Don't take her that Jell-O," I advised him; "she won't be happy." He grinned, probably thinking of previous shopping "faux pas."
I expect Nick is really a pretty savvy grocery shopper. Probably knows how to find and select a good cut of meat, how to select good spices, what he wants when it comes to wine, where the cinnamon candy is. But he might be out of his element in store-bought cookies.
There's at least one very funny skit on this subject. If I can find it, I'll send it to Hallie. KW
I've forbidden Nick from buying soup on his own because he buys the low sodium stuff on accident. It's happened at least 3 times now. I first told him that I love him and that I really appreciate that he went to the store without me...and then I said, but you may NEVER buy soup again.
ReplyDeleteI hope the needy are on low-sodium diets.
There's something about low sodium products -- they still taste flat even when you add salt. In Nick's defense, I believe there are far too many varieties of soups produced by our leading soup manufacturers. It's ridiculous! And somehow it's easy to get home with the wrong product.
ReplyDeleteI went to Albertson's this morning and checked for gingersnaps -- not that it made any difference. Nabisco's are $4.59 per box!!!! $5.00 for a box of gingersnaps!!! We buy them at the Dollar Tree.