Wednesday, March 4, 2009

No More Free Stuff For Me

When I was a kid my friend ate a bakery sample at the Alberson's on Mercer Island, didn't like it and spit it back onto the sampler plate. When we walked by a few minutes later it was gone, consumed by an unsuspecting shopper. At the tender age of 26, just kidding- more like twelve, I thought this was hysterical.

Fast forward to 2009
I'm shopping at QFC in Bellevue near Nana's house and there is an older man in the cheese section eating out of the sample tray with a toothpick. He's standing there like it's a buffet and actually knocking the samples around with his used toothpick, hunting for the largest pieces. He stood there eating for a good four minutes. I timed him.

Today at my QFC on 15th I saw someone doing the same thing with fruit. She stood eating piece after piece of fresh pineapple and strawberries with the same used toothpick. (When I say it was the same used toothpick, I don't mean the same one the old man in Bellevue used... Oh, you know what I mean.)

Anyway, the point is that I'm DONE with free samples. And lord knows I like free Stuff. But I'm done. Dee You En. DONE!

2 comments:

Leora Bloom said...

You just ruined my day. I NEVER eat those samples - I have no idea why. Now I know why. Maybe my gut told me...YUCK.

Anonymous said...

And those are only the transgressions you SAW! Think about the nosepickers(I bet you have one of those at your house)and the hackers and coughers. Then there is the issue of how long it has been at room temp. Once (at a-to-remain-undisclosed-Seattle location) we used to sample out the waaaaay overripe cheese (like port salut that was turning pinkish and was astonishingly ammoniated). Let's just say if you were French you might have enjoyed it...