| Swept Away by an Onion |
| Thoughts |
| Written by Theresa |
| Monday, 08 November 2010 05:42 |
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Why does the weird stuff always happen to me? Maybe I’m hyper observant around food, maybe the universe wants me to know something. Either way, if there is a fly in the soup, you bet your tail feathers, it’s going to be in mine! For instance, the guy with the broom at the grocery store just had to be sweeping out under the vegetable bins while I was choosing my zucchini. With his dusty, filthy broom he swept up a dustbin full of mushrooms, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions and potatoes that had fallen on the floor. “What a waste” thought I, “with so many people hungry or undernourished in our world we carelessly let food drop on the floor and it gets thrown away”. Um, wait! No! Am I seeing what I am seeing? Sweeper dude barely looks back as he hefts the onion and potato over his shoulder and back into the bin. Ewwwwww. I know that there are people with doggy doo on their shoes walking around here and, for sure, some kid barfed and someone sneezed. Plus, that broom had more dust bunnies on it than can be found under even my bed. All manner of bacteria hides in dust bunnies. So I asked the produce manager if my eyes were seeing what I thought they saw. He said “yes ma’am” “we put the potatoes and onions back in the bin. A bruised tomato or apple goes in the garbage but you are going to peel or wash potatoes and onions anyway, right?” Well, yes, right. I. think. I mean, I guess worse things have happened to those root veggies on the farm, on the truck, in storage…And it is probably my false sense of security that helps me feel that my produce is only relatively dirty. And I am going to wash them. And, I guess I am happy they aren’t going to waste as I had originally assumed. But, still. I am also aware of my privileged state living in this country, in this time, WITH an income. I know that there are loads of people who would not only call me crazy (believe me, I’ve heard worse) but who would be forced to fight me for that potato. It could mean the difference between a meal today or hunger. But, still. I can’t shake this one. Surely, at a grocery store I have a reasonable expectation that my food hasn’t been on the floor. Or maybe I want to have the choice by knowing the policy. Or maybe I think that fallen food should be discounted so I can make an informed decision. Or maybe I just don’t want to see it. Tell me no secrets, tell me some lies, give me no reasons, give me alibis. Just don’t make my brown eyes (or potatoes) blue. So tell me, where do you land?
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