Produce Department Strippers!
This story has nothing to do with the bayou or the wetlands, but I just have to use this venue to vent and get some feedback from the Faithful Few.
Day before yesterday, I went to town to the grocery store, and as I walked through the produce department looking for cabbage, there were two HUGE bins full of gigantic heads of cabbage.
And there they were–those women the produce managers hate–the ones who stand there and strip off all the dark green leaves before putting the head in their basket.
Don’t they know that’s where all the vitamins are? And hey, just how much money do they save when they pull off six leaves weighing about 3 ounces, and the cabbage is a whopping 25 cents a pound? I mean, can you do that math for me please?
Would someone PLEASE tell me why they do this????
Well, I just whizzed by, reached in on the fly, grabbed the BIGGEST head I saw and kept on going. It was a drive-by-cabbage-grab and they turned their heads so fast when I passed you could hear their necks crack!
I could hear them asking themselves, “Doesn’t she care that she’s going to be charged for all those dark green leaves? Doesn’t she care that the price is by the pound? How wasteful of her. She must be rich, buying cabbage like that right out of the bin without even examining it.”
To tell you the truth, it made me feel downright GOOD!! So good, that next year I might whizz by TWICE and buy TWO HEADS of cabbage, unstripped of their dignity and vitamins!
And Vance, my Vegeterian Friend, can tell us a thing or two about veggie vitamins, no doubt!
And to all my dear friends who are Produce Department Strippers: I’m sure you have a very good reason for participating in this ritual, and I’m also sure you know this post is all in good fun! I love you even if you do strip!!
Your cabbage-grabbing
Bayou Woman
Yep, I’ve witnessed these “strippers” too. I heard one say she was doing it so she could look for worms in the cabbage. After she threw back a few I was almost afraid to pluck a head out of the bin. But when I did, lo and behold, the first one was perfect! I must have been really lucky that day!
HAPPY NEW YEAR Cuzzy and everyone else too.
Thanks for the play on words, Katy Bug, and I’ve edited the title to reflect your genius!
Yep, I too have witnessed strippers at the grocery. I zoom by them for a different reason though. I grow my own cabbage so there is no reason to stop.
And when are you going to teach me how to be a master gardener, Steffi?
They live by old wives’ tales, like white sugar is good for you and dark green cabbage leaves are toxic. It’s sad to see, but very common. I was judged to be weird when I bought organic food for my children 30 years ago. Now, it’s catching on. But the old misconceptions still live… Keep grabbing your cabbages, drive-by style! Maybe they’ll notice long enough to ask why…or…maybe not…
Okay, I’m doing the math, Nerd that I am!
$.25/lb. and
16 oz. in 1 lb. =
~$.05/oz. x 3 oz. =
15 cents! (I think)
I just wonder what they did with that 15 cents they saved! Hope they didn’t spend it all in one place!
Next time, though, I think you ought to go gather up all the leaves they’ve ripped off and gingerly put them in a bag in your cart and walk off. Flash them an odd look when you do it like they’re crazy.
I double-dog dare ya!
Hey LilSis, you have been corrected by the Math Genius of the family!!
I agree with you. The dark green leaves are the best. I won’t buy a peeked one, it has to look piert to me.
Rebel, please educate me: Is “piert” a typo or a new word I need to learn?
$.015625 per ounce is $.046875 for 3 oz……they saved less than a nickel
Now I would like to take this opportunity to say it took a math calculation to get my even nerdier BigSis to leave a comment! Thanks, Carol!!!
Well not to mention the pee they leave behind from those illegal migrants.
But that might be the vitamin packed part of the green card less guys.
And leave it to you, Blu, to explain to me in a “three letter word” why all those strippers do what they do. I think I’ll go throw out my whole pot of smothered cabbage now that I know it’s laced with migrant “pee”!
When you buy cabbage or celery you need to look at the bottom of it, if there’s a lot of “snot” on it the produce hasn’t been able to breathe and will rot faster. In order for it to last longer, simply scrape it off and let the produce breathe. See….all those produce in warehouse workshops have finally paid off!!!!
Thanks, Mrs. Coach, for that handy dandy produce fact of the day!!
I’ll teach everyone to be a Master Gardener as soon as I learn to be one. The cabbage and garlic looks great this year, bu that’s all……the mustard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and beans are the pits. 4″ of unexpected snow didn’t help the growing season either.
Ah yes, but at least you HAVE a garden. Most of us just dream about a garden, huh LilSis?
GardenMaMA or some such radio host in Mississippi talked about why you should grow your own and urine was one why. I listened to her on way back from Fourchon.
Here you go. http://www.gardenmama.com/
BTW, BW. Raised garden beds ought to be right up there, there.
If I get lucky and get laid off for a month or so coming up I’ll come down and help with your back breaking labor, mine is already toast.
I’m very familiar with raised beds, but I wonder if I could make them about four feet high and still work them?
Oh no! I had to laugh! I’m not a stripper, but I am definitely a “puller!” I pull the stems off the peppers! I had to think why, and I remembered in a flash of insight!
In Europe, there were no bags – you had to bring your own bags and carts to the shops with you. The pepper stems use to get caught on this funny little cart I had, and to avoid it, I just got in the habit of removing the stems before placing them in my container. The peppers were sold by the piece, not weight, so I was doing it for another reason altogether! Lol! Now that I’ve been “outed” as a “puller,” my wayward ways WILL change!
Does that qualify as a New Year’s resolution?!
Now my feelings are hurt! LOL! Did you do the math, or did you just jump to the conclusion that BisSis is right? Huh?
LOL!!!! Did I do the math? I’m still laughing!!!!!
Happy New Year BW & Bayou friends!!!
Happy to be back with brand new puter and cellular access!!! I have really MISSSSSSSSSSSED ya’ll too!
At least ya’ll had cabbage to choose from! I waited too long and there was no cabbage to be found in Longview TX! I had to settle for frozen egg rolls to fulfill my newyears omage, but I did have fresh organic blackeyed peas! so all was not lost. Son looked at me funny when I served his plate of baked ham, blackeyes cornbread and a eggroll….I just went straight to the blessing without explanation….lol. Happy new year everyone…lets hope it a calm one all year.
Deb
Strippers at the grocery store? Where, when…………
Blu’s Cabbage n Kielbasa update. Ro*Tel has snuck into my life. Not Red Gold but pretty good I admit. Sausage 2 heads cabbage 9 oz carrots onion parsley rosemary Ro*Tel Crystal garlic pepper. No red potatoes though.
Makes 15 degrees almost liveable.
PS. No outer leaves on these heads.
LOL, BLU!!! Sounds like good eating to me. I need someone to cook for me like that!!!!
Even better today. Thinking chili tomorrow.
It’s the first time I comment here and I must say that you give us genuine, and quality information for other bloggers! Great job.
p.s. You have an awesome template for your blog. Where did you find it?
Thanks so much for the kind words!!! Stop by any time! I answered your question about templates in an email!
BW
PS The banner at the top is taken from one of my photos, and I just added the text to it. Forgot to tell you that in the email.