Hands down, my absolute favorite place to shop for groceries is Trader Joe’s. The store is pretty regional at this point, but it’s popularity has it expanding, so if you have no idea what I am so excited about, I hope you will one day get to experience the environment and the tasting table that sparks this post today.
My daughter, all 80 pounds of her loves that table. She will taste things that would never go beyond the sniff test at home. Yesterday, she left an in process nap to join me to pick up the ingredients for dinner, just in case ” they had something good to taste”.
The visit has become regular “us” time. We enjoy some exotic tastes and have learned the art of the “smile” when the seasonings or combinations venture past our likes. I explained to her, that the art of the “smile” is a skill best mastered young. When she absolutely does not like what is in her mouth, I remind her that it is rude to spit it out. The “art of the swallow”. Is this another skill best mastered earlier rather than later in life? Hmmm. Figuratively, definitely. Literal? Well, this brings me back to the table yesterday. Key Lime Pie. ( Come back to me here. Where did you think I was going with that??) I do have a texture problem when I eat. Wiggly or creaming or slimy food just is not for me. If it is thin like jello, it is tolerable; pudding is a no go.
Yesterday, was a seeming disaster for me. Key lime pie with a spray of whipped cream. No, I said, as my daughter encouraged me to taste it. Please Mommy… we promised that we would always taste things… you told me that is the way we find new things to like… Mommy please…. Her words ringing through my combo squint and raised eyebrow that is supposed to signal the end of the conversation.
But it doesn’t. She is good at this repeating my own lessons stuff.
So, she drags me to my fate. Not only have I been working off my fanny ( hopefully ) with my new rowing machine, and counting every step, I am about to waste calories, and probably gag in public as I ingest not only wiggly key lime pie, but whipped cream, all gloriously cut and placed in a little paper cup.
1-2-3… We count, and try it together.
WHAT IN THE WORLD??? MY ENTIRE WORLD JUST TURNED LIME GREEN…
THIS ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE… My entire world is rocked as I swallowed what might have been the most amazing taste sensation since I DON’T KNOW WHEN!
Afraid to look at my daughter who has gone back for seconds, she is laughing uncontrollably at my reaction.
Buy it said the man with the stocking on his head. It’s only $5.99.
It’s NOT THE MONEY…. It’s everything!
Determined to ignore what just happened, refusing to admit the error of my ways, I tell her that we must find something more healthy.
As if by destiny, we stumble upon this:
Yes, broccoli will restore my sense of order in the world. We buy two bags, and swing by the taking table again because I realize I am not getting out of the store without that pie. My skinny little baby enjoyed it so.
.
So, this little bastard came home with us. We spent the next half hour finishing our shopping and laughing. She carried the broccoli florets for us to snack on in the car. We had already figured out that a serving size of the pie was 11 grams of fat! I try to teach my daughter to make wise food choices. So, we look at healthy choices and try to be knowledgeable about what we eat. The occasional dessert is good for the soul :-), even if it is wiggly, jiggly pie.
Determined to reinforce the conversation about healthy eating, my daughter turns over the single serving package of broccoli, now empty.
MOM!!!!!
Sweetie, don’t do that when I am driving!
Interestingly enough, the fat content in those seemingly healthy florets, far exceeds my lovely key lime pie. Foiled again! Two husbands and a pack of broccoli florets. I guess I am easily fooled.
More laughter, all the way home.
So, the true lesson here isn’t regarding what we learn to swallow in life; the lesson here in some poetic manner is that things just aren’t always what they seem. Try something new… Say hello to someone you might otherwise not, or try a new food.
Hey, you never know!!
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