Inquiring Challengers Want To Know

Bought yummy locally grown corn at the Giant. It was advertised and labeled as such…Easy, right? We’ve had it four times this summer already. When I asked the “grocer” (AKA person putting the broccoli out) what else they had in the produce department that was “local,” she looked at me like I had three heads.

Never mind.

Next stop: organic grocery store on Capitol Hill. This will be cake. How can you sell organic and not be excited about locally grown food? Bought some yummy vanilla yogurt (organic, of course). Had an un-fruitful (pun intended) conversation with the check out person…

Me: is any of your produce grown locally?
Cashier: [pause, looking randomly about]
Me: Is any of your produce from PA, WV, VA, MD?
Cashier: Well what produce do you want to know specifically about?
Me: [Thinking, ‘Wise guy, huh?’] How about your peaches?
Cashier: No, I don’t think so.
Me: Broccoli? [This was not going well.]
Cashier. Nah, not that.
Me: Celery? [Okay, I confess, I’ve never seen celery grow—I have no idea where it’s even from. I was panicked. I thought she’d just KNOW what was local and I’d buy it.]
Cashier: We sometimes have local produce.
Me: [Thinking, ‘Is this some kind of game?’]: Okay, how about you tell me what you think IS local?
Cashier: Bing cherries.

I could be wrong, but I’m not sure cherries really are grown locally. Then again, what do I know? ~Jane