Tuesday, April 03, 2012

twist and pout


Our heads lie to us.

At least, mine does.

I walked into town this morning to see how the semana santa preparations are going.  I will write more about that later in the week.  But someone has already fired the fun starting pistol.

As a rule, I do not buy much on these jaunts if I am on foot.  Once I start buying groceries, I quickly realize my eyes are bigger than my calves.

All was going routinely.  I stopped at my favorite NOB-oriented grocery store -- Hawaii.  The owner, Alex, is a wily merchant.  Much of the white tourist merchandise has been shuffled to make way for the people who will be patronizing his store for the next two weeks -- Mexican tourists.

I poked around a bit to see if I wanted to come back later in the week to buy anything before I head off for a month to parts Middle Eastern.  The decision was easy. I can survive on what I have.

Then I saw a new addition tucked under a shelf.  Bags of red and back licorice.  From the American Licorice Company.  Big bags.  One pounders.

I am not that fond of licorice.  After all, it is nothing more than jellied corn syrup.  I could do just as well by eating spoonfuls of sugar directly from the bag.  But that is the logical guy speaking -- the one who thinks he controls his own choices.

There is a more romantic spirit up there somewhere that makes decisions based on associations and dreams.

When I started my law practice, Costco had just opened in our town.  I can still recall the first time I saw the huge plastic containers, nostalgically disguised as glass candy jars.  They looked as if they would be a great addition to a professional office.  I could offer a chewy red whip to my clients as they recounted the woes of their marriages or the details of a contract that needed my expert drafting.

In the ten years I was in private practice, I always had two of those containers at the ready.  One red.  One black.  Those were probably the happiest ten years of my career.  Often barely making ends meet, but always ready to help my clients.

I walked up and down the aisles at Hawaii several times while Mr. Logic and Ms. Blithe Spirit indulged in their little contretemps.  The fact that the photograph at the top of this post was obviously taken in my garden is a rather good hint of who made the candy decision.

That is far too much candy to eat before I leave next Tuesday.  But it will make a great airplane and cruise ship treat.  And the memories will be sweeter even than the licorice.
 

16 comments:

Andean said...

Proustian memories...
Licorice--too bad Hawaii didn't have Madeleines.

Felipe Zapata said...

You are beyond redemption.

Steve Cotton said...

I would have preferred Brach's Spice Drops.

Steve Cotton said...

 I trust that refers to my food choices rather than to my theology.

jennifer j rose said...

The same photo from yesterday's blog post appears on today's.  

But I'm more concerned about your "white tourist" v. "Mexican tourist" reference. When did Mexican people become colored? I thought we were pretty much white -- or at least a different shade of pale.

Steve Cotton said...

Yes.  Something went odd with that photograph.  And I have no idea why.  (I hope it is now back to the way it was.)  Blogger seems to have a mind of its own these days.  And it is not mine.

I am glad you caught my little bit of mischief.  It was my homage to The New York Times creating an entirely new ethnic grouping (white Hispanic) in its desire to keep the racial narrative alive in the Zimmerman- Martin set-to.  If, as The New York Times seems to believe that a child of a Peruvian woman and a white American father is a white Hispanic, what does that make the current occuant of the White House?

And here I was hoping all of that Apartheid tagging nonsense had been put to rest. 

Laurie Matherne said...

Red licorice! If you have time, download an episode of Web Therapy. Each episode is about 15 minutes long. The episode with Jane Lynch throwing red licorice at her computer screen is a hoot. 

Andean said...

Being a New Yorker I seldom miss an article in the NYT's. I am not aware of the one to which you are referring.

Steve Cotton said...

In a 22 March story headlined: "City Criticizes Police Chief After Shooting." "Mr. Zimmerman, 28, a white Hispanic, told the police ..."

Steve Cotton said...

 Probably a better use for it.

John Calypso said...

Love that red licorice - you had to remind me it is not found here ;-(

Steve Cotton said...

 It is the first time I have seen it here.

Irene said...

You are going to the Middle East?  Seems like you just got back from the Far East.  Will you be heading to the Near East next?

Steve Cotton said...

 I am beginning to think I only imagine that I live in Mexico.

Don Cuevas said...

Good title!

I bought two, 2-pound bags of that Red Vines Licorice while visiting in New Jersey last August. It was a lot cheaper than Switzer's Twizzlers. However, it is a barely acceptable stand in for the good stuff. I won't make that mistake twice.
Saludos,Don Cuevas 

Steve Cotton said...

 I have become quite a fan of the Australian soft licorice available at Costco sporadically.  This stuff was a bit like eating sugary perafine.