November 07, 2005
More Poms
On Friday,in my role as bird flu supply officer, I visited a nearby grocery store known for its bargains, crowds and international marketplace ambience. Much of its popularity rests on the fact that one can still purchase three items for a dollar, most of which come in a can, or are dried and need soaking overnite - ideal for my purposes. Saris shalwar kameez, dashikis, head scarves and nun outfits abound. If I were a portrait photographer, I would station myself on a bench outside, or in the produce aisle and shoot to my heart's content. Portrait photography, however, and shyness are a poor combination. At least in this store, they are not display proud, and photos seem to be allowed. The smarmier markets do photography patrols, lest their luscious display techniques be stolen by visual thieves, like yours truly, who will instruct the competition how to stack produce artfully.
I had just discovered this single pomegranate nestled among the dried peas, when the Giant Pomegranate Sale was announced over the loudspeaker.. You guessed it, I couldn't decide whether there is pomegranate season, and I had landed smack in the middle of it, or the universe was sending me a message about what I should be ingesting.
Since I still had an abundant supply of the fresh poms at home, I bought three bottles of Pom, The Juice. I found it a bit sour, A friend reminded me that a splash of vodka improves most drinks (well, maybe not their health quotient), so I made pomegranate martinis which were rejected outright by some, and which I found barely palatable.
FYO at the fancy market today, which is less than two miles away, there were only six pomegranates to be found, each priced at a hefty $2.98. One pays such a premium for pretty stacking.
Photo note: See above and below. Regretfully there were no exotic costumes passing by.
