I am tempted to
run back and clean off the shelf, or at the very least, stack dissimilar
items in front, slowing down the eventual sale of the residual bottles. It
would be a disaster to run out of our favourite caramel topping, necessary
for our morning cappuccinos.
Overcome with indecision and trepidation, I
grudgingly leave the remaining six bottles of Smuckers Carmel Topping for the
other eight hundred thousand inhabitants of Cancun to enjoy. So very thoughtful
of me.
Back on Isla
Mujeres, we miserly add the bottles of caramel flavouring to our hoard. Our
cache currently includes eight boxes of Twinings Darjeeling Tea, twelve
bottles of Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc wine and six bottles of Paul Newman’s
oil and vinegar salad dressing. Amongst our friends the Santa Rita wine from
Chile is a highly sought-after commodity. It is a tasty white wine that is
relatively inexpensive. Despite our pleadings to the contrary, the local
Chedraui grocery store manager typically orders one case at a time! Lawrie
frequents the grocery store on a regular basis, picking up a few items here and
there. Whenever he sees a new order of the Santa Rita, he is quick to snatch up
a handful of bottles, adding them to our cache.
Then, once our supply is
secure, he calls other friends on their cell phones to let them know the store
has replenished the Santa Rita wine. Clever man.
When you live in
a foreign country, strange things happen to your personality. Hoarding becomes
second nature. Flavours that we crave are sought out, checking with other North
Americans to see who has seen a particular item. Where? When? Was there a good
stock or was the store about to run out? At social gatherings, our conversations are laced with pithy stories of locating and obtaining flavoured treats. Our visiting relatives look upon us as slightly weird, off-balance perhaps. Obsessive.
They made disparaging remarks like: “Do
you always talk about food?” We stare at them, defensively muttering: “Maybe.
What concern is it of yours?”
We never mention to outsiders our friend who has dozens of Lindt chocolate bars lining the door of her pantry refrigerator. Enough to last the winter season in Mexico.
It’s a deep, dark secret.
On the other hand, our winter friends understand our needs. They frequently offer to ‘mule’ items to us in Mexico when they return for the season. “What can we bring you?” They ask, fully understanding what it is like to fixate on an item that is over 5000 miles away. October and November become a precursor to Christmas when bags of our favourite salty Dutch licorice arrive, tucked in ones and twos into the suitcases of returning friends.
Hah! Let others scoff at our obsessions. At least someone understands.
As for the location of our secret hoard …… my lips are sealed.
 |
| Comparing notes! |
We never mention to outsiders our friend who has dozens of Lindt chocolate bars lining the door of her pantry refrigerator. Enough to last the winter season in Mexico.
It’s a deep, dark secret.
On the other hand, our winter friends understand our needs. They frequently offer to ‘mule’ items to us in Mexico when they return for the season. “What can we bring you?” They ask, fully understanding what it is like to fixate on an item that is over 5000 miles away. October and November become a precursor to Christmas when bags of our favourite salty Dutch licorice arrive, tucked in ones and twos into the suitcases of returning friends.
Hah! Let others scoff at our obsessions. At least someone understands.
As for the location of our secret hoard …… my lips are sealed.
Lynda & Lawrie
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