Do
you ever make exceptions for your pantry?
I
usually cringe at buying the wildly expensive options of anything.
And, those smaller individualized packages of snacks tend to be
some of the most outrageous. I don’t always do the math, but the
limited-calorie individually packaged snacks are the stuff of
fingernails and blackboards to an excessive degree for me.
These
days though, I’m actually seeking them out.
For
a wide range of reasons unimportant to this essay, I have been
doing a vast majority of the shopping lately, and, Terry deserves
to have her whims catered to appropriately. So, when she suddenly
says that she thinks she’d enjoy a pizza, some Nutter Butters,
or coffee milk, I’ve got the car keys in my hand and I’m headed
for the door.
Usually
I have keys, wallet, cell phone and doorknob in hand before the
idea has fully formed in my head, meaning I’m often exiting the
house and hitting the road with no idea where I’m going to find
a container of Autocrat coffee syrup in any store hundreds of
miles from the Rhode Island border.
But
Terry requests, Terry deserves, and Terry shall get.
One
time she did ask for a pizza. I ordered, went to pick it up, and
by the time I got home she didn’t want it any more. The Nutter
Butters? Bought some, she ate three, enjoyed them very much, sealed
the package back up and didn’t touch them again.
Since
I know at times she might be asking for some of her favorites
as snacks, I do try to make some arrangements and nods for the
concept of limited appeal and appetite. The smaller the package,
the less that might go to waste if not revisited immediately.
Suddenly those variety packs, regardless of cost, are looking
pretty good.
And
so, I ask again, do you ever make exceptions for your pantry?
And by that, I’m wondering about the ways you might stray from
normal patterns and opinions in order to have something you like
around.
The
stores we visit… the frequency of use… the number of people being
served by preparation… all of these reasons and more come into
play.
Terry
and I have the favorites from growing up in Rhode Island on the
mind at times. We have preferences for baked beans as an example
(and never can find brown bread in our neighborhood markets).
So, any time we are visiting family and friends in the Ocean State,
we have a tendency to stock up on these treats. (Hence, a bigger
than really needed bottle of Autocrat syrup being purchased.)
In
2003, I visited Australia and got hooked on a carbonated beverage
called Lift, which was available in a lemon flavor. It was an
excruciatingly devilish concoction for me. I picked it to try
something different with lunch one day. The first sip was sweet,
but much more sour and lip scrunching. But I took another. And
another. And by the end of that first bottle I was borderline
addicted. It became the drink of the trip for me.
Once
back in the United States, zippo. It’s not available. And while
I go looking on occasion, hoping upon hope for an internet distributor
miracle, it never arrives. I’ve even found some details saying
that the recipe has changed since my first experiences. (Alas.)
Speaking
of the internet, that’s always a kick as well. Often if you find
a rarer item, you need to do hours of mathematical calculations.
If it has free shipping, the cost is beyond outrageous. Decent
pricing is tied to new-car-payment level delivery charges.
At
times, it almost makes you miss the blissful ignorance of knowing
nothing beyond the shelves of the store just down the road.
We’re
having English muffins tomorrow morning. (Oh, by the way, remind
me to take them out of the freezer when I wrap this up. Thanks.)
Not sure if we’ll grill them or toast them. Don’t know if Terry
will favor straight butter, or if she’ll look for peanut butter
or jam to be added. Doesn’t matter. Looking forward to it. Got
a couple of movies we’re planning to watch and a pretty great
meal planned for later in the day. English muffins will be a good
start.
After
that, we’ll go where the wind takes us. More or less. For impulses
though, I’ll just try to keep everything on hand and sealed. It’s
only a few cents more.