Random 5 for October 10, 2021 – Farmers’ market, sweets, weight, change

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Yikes! – Yesterday I went to the local farmers’ market. It’s a large one inside a building. I wanted something specific from one of the vendors. I thought I would treat myself to a bear claw at the donut shop. (For the uninitiated it’s a big pastry with jam.) Just as I ordered a raspberry claw, I noticed a bug in the display case (where my pastry was). It wasn’t one of those big horseflies that sit on poop then move to your food. It was a smaller flying bug but it immediately killed my appetite. I had already ordered. It was being wrapped so I bought it. Bugs of any sort on my food turn my stomach. I’m well aware that I eat bug remnants routinely but I prefer not to see it.

Speaking of pastries – I threw out most of my bear claw. It wasn’t because of the bug which technically hadn’t sat on my pastry, but because it was too sweet. There is a fine line between a touch of sweetness and the kind that curls your teeth. Americans eat their desserts very sweet. I was raised on European style pastries and desserts made by my mom. Those are more about the flavors than the sugar content. I’ve aged out of the donut bakery at the farmers’ market. Another rite of passage.

Come on people! – Another thing I noticed at the market was the lack of camaraderie. No one was having fun. No joking around or pleasant greetings. The only place where people were fun was at the butcher shop. It had nothing to do with some young hunky guys trying to get an old lady to buy more!

Covid weight – The beloved husband and I did not gain weight during the pandemic but our cats did. So far three cats put on weight with two of them in chonker territory. Everyone (that means all the cats, not the peeps) are on a diet. There was some gruntzing about it but I’m hopeful they can drop a few pounds over the next year. Gracie still needs her checkup but I’m not worried. She’s my picky eater. She won’t eat treats or barely anything else. Maybe she is the smartest of them all.

It’s really weird – The business I retired from downsized, was sold and restructured. It takes up a very small part of the building that I worked in. The rest has been rented to one of our local hospitals for doctor’s offices. When I drive by I see a big hospital sign on the building. Things change.

So how was your week?

 

 

67 thoughts on “Random 5 for October 10, 2021 – Farmers’ market, sweets, weight, change”

    • Nothing turns my stomach like flies on food. I went to a picnic a long time ago. It was in the country with dairy farms around. The hostess put the food on a table outside and it was immediately covered in flies. I would only eat things that I KNEW the flies didn’t sit on. Great for the diet. I also learned that flies like to hang around farms.

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  4. Were people wearing masks at your Farmers Market? Although we don’t have a mandate to wear them outdoors, everyone still does in our area. I think the masks keep some of the “fun” down. It’s hard to interact with people when you can’t read facial expressions. On the other hand, everywhere I go every sales representative or customer service person is going out of their way to be very friendly. I have never had such long conversations with people wanting to be helpful. I can alost feel their anxiety over how things have been mixed with a sense of relief that there is at least a partial return to normal activity. It’s so untypical that I wonder if it will last!

    I like a good buttery croissant when I’m splurging at a bakery! I don’t care for things too sweet either, but give me butter, and I’m apparently easily made happy. 🙂

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    • I like butter too. It fits in with the salty and fats that I usually crave. Our market is indoors and it’s mixed. Very few wear masks. Our area has had low numbers for a while and people are feeling safe again although if you go into a regular store, the staff are wearing masks. Some stores ask you to wear them and some don’t. I have a hard time hearing through masks especially in noisy places like Starbucks.

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  8. A long time ago, I remember reading that, based on research, Coke is made sweeter in some countries than in others. The Philippines was #1 in sweetness. The US was #2. My mom made her desserts American-sweet, and I’ve been fine with sugary cakes and cookies ever since.

    Although I try to keep bugs of all kinds away from my food, if one comes around, it doesn’t bother me too much. Fortunately, I haven’t seen any bugs in a while. I understand that this is the season for spiders to come out and look for a mate. I’m not kind to spiders. I have no trouble stomping on them.

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    • Food likes depend on what you grew up with. I was well into my 20s before I could stand Chinese food. Now I love it. I never had it as a child or teenager and the flavors are unique. Spiders are good. They eat other bugs. Not a fan of the furry ones or any that are in the shower stall with me. Other than that, I let them be.

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  9. I despise flies and had one get in the house about three weeks ago – it buzzed incessantly and I had bought 90% of my pantry items for Winter and they were sitting in grocery bags around the house awaiting finding spots to put everything. Despite getting whole-house insulation in 2017, I find my kitchen cupboards are still too warm in Summer and we had a hot spell, so I left everything in those bags. I imagined that fly going into all the bags to investigate, so had to go through and wipe everything down as the bags were wide open. Ugh. The odd thing was, after that night, the fly was gone – nowhere to be found. So I agonized over that some more – would it turn up like a bad penny? I went to our City’s farm market a couple of weeks ago to take some photos for a Wordless Wednesday post. I was disappointed to find that there was a lot of rummage sale-type items there, instead of traditional fruits, veggies, cut flowers, or even honey. I took photos, didn’t buy anything though.

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    • I have basement cabinets to store extra food supplies. It’s cooler there all year round. At my last house the kitchen pantry wall had the heat duct so it would get warmer in the winter than I like. Not much I could do as I needed to use it. Our FM has some vendors like that — wreaths and googaws to set around but it’s mostly food items.

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      • I have shelves in the basement, but I buy so I seldom go out all Winter, so it’s a challenge to find a spot to put everything. I put most of the items I got over Labor Day weekend in the basement just because it is cooler – I’ve had to put the A/C on every morning as it’s been so humid in the house from the humidity/rain.

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  10. My hubby gets mad at me when I refuse to eat kale from the garden because of bugs. I always tell him I prefer chemicals to bugs. Sorry about your bear claw.

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  11. I would have offered to eat your bear claw without hesitation. It’s because we haven’t bought many pastries that John and I lost weight during COVID.

    It’s too bad people were not having fun in the farmers’ market. Maybe folks are more relaxed here. We see people who enjoy shopping and chatting with others.

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    • This wasn’t normal. Usually the vendors are cheerful and happy. They are open Thursday through Saturday so it’s not crazy work hours (except maybe the prep before). They love customers. I was scolded at the donut place and when I joked about not having my coffee yet, no one cracked a smile. Very unusual. That happened to me a few years back at the same donut place. It was 2 minutes before 8 and the person manning the booth wouldn’t sell me a pastry although every other vendor was doing business. Maybe the donut place only hires cranky people?

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  12. It’s tricky trying to put a cat on a diet. Teddy has been on one for a year and lost 1pound 3 ounces. I don’t know that I can feed him less. He only gets a quarter cup of dry food every day and no wet food. He does get dental treats because I am not paying another $500 to have his teeth cleaned! Jack is okay, gets the same portion as Teddy but likes to stretch it out. I have to pick up what he doesn’t eat so Teddy doesn’t eat it.
    Bugs are everywhere. No getting away from them. But seeing them on food or in cases at a public store is double yucky.

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  14. It’s really nice of all you folks to leave those sweet desserts for me. 🙂 Sorry to hear anyone in the family is on a diet – not fun. I worked for a pest detection company way back when, and one of the reps had to inspect a flour mill periodically to check for droppings per something or other. In other words, a certain amount was acceptable. I may know that but I sure don’t want to see it.

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  15. I love a good dense cupcake… can be milk chocolate or vanilla with no icing. I do love a good cake donut… no icing. Or, give me some Creme Brulee! I’d rather eat mashed potatoes!!! I haven’t had a skeeter bite me since we moved to Florida. They must be spraying the heck out of them(and us). But we have plenty of bugs on steroids here!

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  16. Umm…yeah…re: bugs…blech! I don’t want to see them either but know they’ve probably walked all over my food. You know you’re right…Americans do tend to overdo it on the sugar with pastries. Which probably explains why we look the way we do. 🙄 At Elsa and Norman’s last checkups, the vet said both could afford to lose a couple of pounds so we (meaning me) decided to cut back on portions and walk a bit longer every day. It was a slow process but now both of them have svelte waistlines. Me on the other hand…ahem…seem to have found the shifting sands of time around my middle. 😬 I’ve recently increased my daily steps and hope it’ll help with upping the metabolism. 🤞🏼

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    • Today is day two of “the diet.” It’s interesting but a whole blog post in itself! I was successful getting Hazel to lose 5 lbs. but it was a struggle over a year and a half. Hope I’m as successful as you are. Not big on sugary stuff but I love ice cream. I’m not a fan of the “premium” brands as they are way too rich. I’m a pretty simple person.

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  17. When I had braces in my forties, I avoided sugar out of fear of having a ton of cavities. Once the braces were gone, so was my taste for sweets. Ugh…the bacteria left behind by flies is better left unseen. Go Eagles! And yes, I still live in Charlotte. 🙂

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    • I never had much of a sweet tooth, at least real sweets. I never ate a whole candy bar and super sweet things weren’t my choice. I have my weaknesses but more along the lines of salty, starchy or fat.

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  18. I agree with you about the sugar in North American desserts. I too was raised by a European mom and with European-style food preferences. More fat, less sugar. I can eat a donut…if I can score an old-fashioned plain one and they are usually available because most people go for the fancier glazed or filled ones. Good luck with the dieting felines!

    Deb

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  20. My week was stressful; thanks for asking. I did some routine shopping yesterday and went to a dog food store that I hadn’t been to in about 2 years (I needed something that Chewy was out of). Apparently I found the fun that was lacking at your farmer’s market. Three young employees (in their late 20’s) were having a great time! So much yakking and laughing – ridiculing the customer that just left. They spent so much time talking and laughing that I began to wonder if they ever did any work. One guy was working; I guess the rest didn’t need to. So people were having fun, but I had to wonder what they would say about me after I left.

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    • Ah yes. I’m sure the donut place talked about me after I left. I tried to check out the display area to see what was available. Obviously that was taboo because I was scolded that the line was on the side and I wasn’t to cut in. Why go in line if they don’t have what you want? Which they didn’t. I settled for something else but that did not start off my visit on a happy note.

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      • So sorry. I guess being the star of their gossip doesn’t hurt much, but it doesn’t inspire me to return. Once I see which of these new dog food flavors Garnet will eat, I’ll order them on Chewy. Chewy never pokes fun at me after I buy!

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        • My favorite thing about Chewy is that I buy cases. Can’t do that at my grocery store. I have to handle individual cans or buy multi-flavored packs where there are flavors no one likes. My cats are not seafood fans. Oh yes and it shows up magically on my doorstep!

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          • I like the magical doorstep delivery! I just wish the boxes weren’t quite so heavy; the cases of dog food weigh a lot. I just needed a few cans of several cans for Garnet to try – she has rather discerning taste. Hopefully we can return to Chewy – they were even quite gracious when our dogs began vomiting up or refusing a previously loved food. And from my side of the computer, they are polite and hard-working!

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            • I usually have trouble with the boxes that contain litter. The weight on some boxes seems to be around 60 lbs. I have to open them in place and take the contents inside individually. I try to buy a can or two locally to make sure my critters like something before I buy a case but they are cats! 🙂 What they love this week may not be their favorite next week!

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  21. I had a similar thing happen in a donut shop a few weeks ago. I was standing in line and noticed a wasp on the display case. At first I thought it was on the outside, but soon realized it was landing on the food and then noticed a few more. I left in a hurry. There are a lot of wasps here in the fall.

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  22. European deserts and pastries do tend to have more fat and more fruit, with less sugar. American frosting is usually powdered sugar with lard/ vegetable oil (maybe butter if you’re lucky!) instead of real buttercream (egg yolks cooked by sugar syrup with butter beaten in). My kid wouldn’t eat birthday cake frosting because “it makes my teeth hurt!”–until he tried the real buttercream.

    But he’ll eat the heck out of gummy anything. Go figure.

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  23. Our Farmer’s Market here is small – we are a small town – all outdoors under tents. I hear you on the bugs – they are everywhere….inside AND outside and they are a buzz kill for an appetite. It’s the main reason we don’t choose to “eat outside” at restaurants. Who wants to spend a delightful dinner with wine while swatting flies/mosquitoes/etc. Not me! Weight gain? Count me in – I lost five lbs. before hip replacement in January – gained it back plus 2-3 more fairly quickly – but somehow I’ve managed to lose it again. Aging is a fickle stage!! Happy Sunday.

    Hugs, Pam

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  24. I’m with you on desserts being too sweet. I never eat donuts, and rarely ice cream. One of my favorites is a nice custard with fruit on top that our local grocery store makes. Perfect blend of flavors and natural sweetness.

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