Herald the Arrival of a New Sport

Trofie Wife would like to proclaim that she has single-handedly invented a new sport—extreme grocery shopping. Now, it doesn’t exactly have its origins in Arenzano, as it’s certainly been played at least once or twice in Brooklyn, but it reached its apotheosis on Thursday, and Trofie Wife has the sore arms (and legs) to prove it.

Extreme grocery shopping entails buying too many groceries with insufficient means to carry them home over relatively long distances. While such a mistake can be merely annoying in Brooklyn, it is torturous over the hills and peaks of Arenzano. Usually, the best way to avoid such a situation is to only use a shopping basket instead of a shopping cart (shopping carts are usually an inconvenience anyway, since users are required to insert a coin in order to release them from their holder—you get it back once you return it; I guess they have a problem with cart thievery in these parts). Yet because I knew from the get-go that there was going to be a lot of glass entailed in my purchase, I wanted to be certain not to buckle under its spell, so I opted for the cart. However, when I got to the self-checkout counter (less disastrous than last time), I soon realized that my bag on wheels and rather large shoulder bag would not be enough to handle the goods. I paid for two more plastic bags (yes, this is Europe, you pay for bags here), and trotted off (at first forgetting to return the cart but then awkwardly about-facing with all my goods in hand to get it (and my euro) back). I then trudged and huffed home (with many breaks; normally it’s a 10-15 minute walk, depending on the route), with shoulder bag and purse on shoulder, plastic bags tied around my wrists and wheeling bag being pulled behind me, with its metal rod poking out and into my jeans all the way home—I fixed it with magical crazy glue the next day. I’m sure my appearance led to several guffaws and clearly displayed that I was not from around here. The good news is that we are stocked in the event of inclement weather, holiday service disruptions, or any orders to quarter soldiers (or any other guests that may appear).

One of Trofie Wife’s finds on this intrepid hunt for nourishment was hazelnut yogurt (yumminess confirmed about 20 minutes ago), which led Martello to ask, “Is there anything in this country that they don’t put hazelnuts into?!” (Note: I have yet to see hazelnut-scented deodorant…). Turns out there just might be a reason beyond taste (and Nutella, which is Italian—from our beloved Piedmonte region, to be exact— if you didn’t know. I always assumed it was French due to the crêpe connection…)—it’s healthy! A couple of years back the FDA actually recommended eating hazelnuts (along with other types of nuts) for good heart health and antioxidant gathering. Yes, it’s biased, but see http://www.hazelnutcouncil.org/health/nutritious.cfm for more information (the Council does not, however, stoop so low as to identify Nutella as health food. Probably because it’s not American made…).  

Baci e gelato,

Martello e Trofie Wife