MUSINGS BY JOAN #24
The significant other and I dined “ala carte” at Costco’s the other day. “Off the cart” might be a better way of describing it. We didn’t miss a single sampling, and when it came to the chicken dumplings in hoisin sauce, we shamelessly returned for thirds.
Benard makes it his business to be highly complimentary to the ladies manning the sampling carts. Marshalling all his considerable charm, he admires their cooking skills and shamelessly walks away with the lion’s share of goodies.
The Costco Phenomenon fascinates me. I don’t get to go very often as I am not a member. I tried using Benard’s membership card once when I went with a friend, but I was refused outright when the girl at the cash register noted that I didn’t have white hair and a beard like the photo on the card. Actually, Benard shares his card with his good friend Harvey who does have white hair and a beard, and I don’t look much like him either.
They are very ritualistic about their frequent visits to Costco. . . .preferably sans women. They roll up and down every aisle and always take the same route, whether they are at their favorite store up in North Miami or the new one way down south in Kendall. There is method to their madness and nothing can deter them from their course. That’s why wives and significant others are rarely invited . .we tend to disturb their rhythm by roaming aimlessly, and horrors!, even skipping an aisle now and then.
As a retired sea food distributor, Benard always spends time inspecting the extensive fish counter and commenting to anyone listening on the freshness of the day’s offerings. That’s fine with me. We unexpectedly had a fabulous stone crab dinner the other night thanks to the fact that Costco was celebrating a Seafood Festival Sale on the day he and Harvey happened to be there.
What truly amazes me about Costco is its reach. The most surprising people are fans. A case in point. Last year our friend Pamela asked us to join her and a very important out-of-town client for dinner at a local restaurant. This gentleman, whose primary residence is in Iowa, had served in President Reagan’s cabinet and most recently been sent by the Bush Administration to attend some high powered meeting in Iraq. You get the picture. We were willing to bet he wasn't planning to vote for Obama in the upcoming election.
We were to show up at her house first for drinks and hors d’oeuvres and I seriously fretted about what we could possibly find to talk to him about all evening. I didn’t have to worry. Early on, he and Benard got into an animated conversation about Costco’s wonderful return policy and by the time they got through swapping their exciting experiences returning a remarkable variety of items, they were fast friends forever. Pamela and I sat there dumbfounded. It’s nice to know that Costco is an equal opportunity shopping world, with both Republicans and Democrats happily frequenting its aisles..
Since I do a minimum of cooking in my apartment, Costco’s super size quantities are not exactly my cup of tea. However, I am forced to admit I’ve been benefiting for years from Benard’s penchant for shopping there, and not just dinner-wise. Personally, my favorite place to shop for paper towels, Tide and toilet paper, is the always well-stocked storage closet in his apartment. The price is really right. Even better than Costco.
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Photo: My favorite purveyor of all things Costco.
The significant other and I dined “ala carte” at Costco’s the other day. “Off the cart” might be a better way of describing it. We didn’t miss a single sampling, and when it came to the chicken dumplings in hoisin sauce, we shamelessly returned for thirds.
Benard makes it his business to be highly complimentary to the ladies manning the sampling carts. Marshalling all his considerable charm, he admires their cooking skills and shamelessly walks away with the lion’s share of goodies.
The Costco Phenomenon fascinates me. I don’t get to go very often as I am not a member. I tried using Benard’s membership card once when I went with a friend, but I was refused outright when the girl at the cash register noted that I didn’t have white hair and a beard like the photo on the card. Actually, Benard shares his card with his good friend Harvey who does have white hair and a beard, and I don’t look much like him either.
They are very ritualistic about their frequent visits to Costco. . . .preferably sans women. They roll up and down every aisle and always take the same route, whether they are at their favorite store up in North Miami or the new one way down south in Kendall. There is method to their madness and nothing can deter them from their course. That’s why wives and significant others are rarely invited . .we tend to disturb their rhythm by roaming aimlessly, and horrors!, even skipping an aisle now and then.
As a retired sea food distributor, Benard always spends time inspecting the extensive fish counter and commenting to anyone listening on the freshness of the day’s offerings. That’s fine with me. We unexpectedly had a fabulous stone crab dinner the other night thanks to the fact that Costco was celebrating a Seafood Festival Sale on the day he and Harvey happened to be there.
What truly amazes me about Costco is its reach. The most surprising people are fans. A case in point. Last year our friend Pamela asked us to join her and a very important out-of-town client for dinner at a local restaurant. This gentleman, whose primary residence is in Iowa, had served in President Reagan’s cabinet and most recently been sent by the Bush Administration to attend some high powered meeting in Iraq. You get the picture. We were willing to bet he wasn't planning to vote for Obama in the upcoming election.
We were to show up at her house first for drinks and hors d’oeuvres and I seriously fretted about what we could possibly find to talk to him about all evening. I didn’t have to worry. Early on, he and Benard got into an animated conversation about Costco’s wonderful return policy and by the time they got through swapping their exciting experiences returning a remarkable variety of items, they were fast friends forever. Pamela and I sat there dumbfounded. It’s nice to know that Costco is an equal opportunity shopping world, with both Republicans and Democrats happily frequenting its aisles..
Since I do a minimum of cooking in my apartment, Costco’s super size quantities are not exactly my cup of tea. However, I am forced to admit I’ve been benefiting for years from Benard’s penchant for shopping there, and not just dinner-wise. Personally, my favorite place to shop for paper towels, Tide and toilet paper, is the always well-stocked storage closet in his apartment. The price is really right. Even better than Costco.
# # # #
Photo: My favorite purveyor of all things Costco.
Skipping aisles isn't allowed in any sort of grocery setting, not just at Costco. Amy will tell you that I make us take the same route in Publix every time regardless of whether we need an item in each aisle. If we skip one, then we are heading the WRONG direction down the next one. The rice will be on the left not the right....the pickles on the right not the left.....oh the madness. That's just unacceptable.
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