Unexpected Outcomes

An Unknown Soldier

I was in Whole Foods last weekend, looking for egg replacer. I showed a picture of the product I wanted to a young man who appeared to be an employee of the store.

He sprang into action, scanning the shelves. He soon presented me with an egg-carton-like package and asked if it was what I wanted. It looked like a replacement for scrambled eggs (I wanted a replacement for baking) but it was hard to tell, which is what I said.

So he ripped off the label and opened the carton. I could see then that I definitely did not want the product. Nor, in its current condition, would anyone else.

I left the store empty-handed, but with a better understanding of why Whole Foods is so expensive. 

In another grocery-related incident, Bruce and I were walking though Allan Gardens, heavily laden with recent food purchases. The Gardens are a mess these days. There are people living in tents everywhere, and the main path has been obstructed by a hoarding erected around the greenhouse. 

Several inches of freshly fallen slush made it treacherous underfoot. Two women had illegally parked their car on the one path cleared for pedestrians.

As I squeezed past the vehicle I said to one of the women "You have a lot of nerve parking here."

Nothing in my words conveyed that I required an explanation, but she offered one anyway. She said, "We're bringing charity to the people in the tents!"

"Of course you are," I said, in a tone Bruce has described as venomous (I'd say unimpressed).

That was all it took for the woman to lose it. She shouted at me to FUCK OFF, plus other instructions.

I ignored her. But found it interesting that someone so full of charity could also be so angry. As Bruce and I continued on our way, I heard her telling her companion what a terrible person I was. 

Both episodes just go to show that, no matter what you intend when you start a conversation with a stranger, you never really know where you might end up.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen