On line at ShopRite, the plump woman behind me, lifting a package of pickled beets from my cart, asks “Are these any good?” She is interested in discussing the merits of various pickled vegetables—Persian cucumbers, baby pearl onions, Meyer lemons are amazing, she insists—while I am focused on getting out the door. I want her to unhand my beets. The bearded guy behind her leans over, wondering about the difference between Meyer and regular lemons. The lady in front peers curiously into my cart to see what’s up. The cashier turns to me and says “Well, you’re popular.”
Monica Shah is a writer, educator, actress, bibliophile, dabbler in art and poetry, humanist, chocoholic, and dragon whisperer