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| The Lone Okra |
On Sunday, my daughter and I ordered some groceries. On Monday afternoon, I picked up my groceries. The store was still somewhat busy, but, I didn't have to wait that long to collect my groceries, this time around.
We had kept a list of grocery items we wanted, writing down things on the list (posted on the refrigerator door) as we thought of needed items. Daughter went down the list as we put in the order and the items included meat, chicken, fish, eggs, half and half for her coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta, bread, some treats and snacks (tortilla chips, hot Cheetos, ice cream!), a few toiletry items (toothpaste, mouthwash) and household items (facial tissues, masking tape, duct tape) as well as a couple of items friend R had wanted.
We authorized substitutions to be made, and the store did what they could, but, we didn't get all what we had ordered. They were out of both tortilla chips and hot Cheetos, they didn't have the boxes of facial tissues (but, daughter put in another order for them to be shipped from another supplier), and they didn't have the flavor of ice cream we had wanted, but, they substituted a different flavor (which we don't like as much, but, perhaps that's a good thing, because now we are not quite as tempted to eat it!)
After I picked up the groceries, I drove directly to R's and dropped off the items she had wanted. Then, I came home and daughter took a break from her work to help disinfect and put away the groceries.
That's when we discovered the lone okra! When we were ordering the groceries, we saw okra pictured in a container with a price of $2.99/lb. We weren't sure if they were selling them by the pound (but, then, why show them in a container?) or if they were selling them by the container (like mushrooms, for example) and then, pricing the container by weight at the rate of $2.99/lb. But, we ordered the okra, typing "1" where it asked for quantity, thinking we were ordering either 1 lb. or 1 container. Well, guess what I received? 1 single okra! LOL. I can just imagine the look on the face of the person who was putting my order together! Okra - 1. I wonder if he or she scratched his/her head over the quantity ordered and then, shrugged his/her shoulders and bagged up one single okra! No phone call or text to clarify the order, just one lone okra in a bag! They even weighed it and charged me $0.06 for the single okra! I think it is hilarious!
One of the items I bought today was salmon fillet. I cooked the salmon with sliced onions and fresh tomatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper, teriyaki sauce, and lemon juice for our dinner, tonight. Towards the very end of cooking, I ceremoniously sliced up the lone okra and added it to the salmon dish! Daughter doesn't like okra, so I had the whole okra for myself!
Next time we order okra, we will know to specify 1 lb!
Later in the evening, I watered the back garden, took the trash cans to the curb, did two loads of laundry, practiced the piano, and spoke on the phone with friend R, aunt C, and one of the monks at the Temple.
Today (Monday) I am grateful for:
- Being able to order groceries online
- Curbside pick up of groceries
- The lone okra!
- Being able to get fresh produce in the middle of winter
- Daughter helping with disinfecting and putting away the groceries
Today's joyful activity was having phone conversations with family and friends.
Have you gone grocery shopping yet in January? Have you had a similar experience with ordering groceries online where you assumed something was being sold by the weight or container and received a single item?
That's too funny about the lone okra. I still use online ordering with curbside pick up. I think it will be many many months before I feel safe going into a store. My battle cry these days is "bring on the vaccine".
ReplyDeleteIt is funny, isn't it? But, I am very grateful I can order the groceries and pick them up, curbside! There is a fee, but, if one orders more than $35 worth of items, then, the pick up is free. I think I will continue to take advantage of curbside pick up for a long time to come!
DeleteThat's a funny story about your okra. Do they text you sometimes for clarification? Do you have to check a box that substitutions are okay? It seems each store has a slightly different method and it may also depend on who's filling your order.
ReplyDeleteSo far, they haven't texted me for clarification, only to let me know that they were running behind schedule, that one time before the holidays. Yes, there is a box to check to say substitutions are okay. If you don't okay substitutions and they don't have the item, they will text you with suggested substitutions and you have the option of accepting substitutions. That's what I did at the beginning, when I didn't know how it worked. This particular store (a Kroger affiliate) charges the lower price when they have to make a substitution, but the store my daughter orders from in Berkeley will charge the regular price of the substituted item.
DeleteI just finished reading your Okra story out loud to my husband and we are both laughing! Last week I made salmon in much the same way as yours but I added two handfuls of spinach with the tomatoes and it was delicious! Have a wonderful day! xoxo
ReplyDeleteIt is a funny story, isn't it? :D I haven't tried adding spinach to the salmon, but, maybe I will, the next time I make it! Thank you for the suggestion. :)
DeleteWhen I saw the photo of the lone okra I thought it must have been from your garden. I can't believe the store would do that, so funny!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, yes, that is usually how my garden produces vegetables! One okra, two radishes, three tomatoes! Except, I've not had any success growing okra. But, no, this particular lone okra was from the grocery store! :D
DeleteYour one okra made me laugh. Been there, done that when I first started online deliveries years ago - I received a solitary sprout in a huge paper bag!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're still disinfecting your groceries. I still do but some of my friends no longer bother, even though supermarkets have been identified as one of the biggest spreaders of the virus.
Ha, ha, I hope you enjoyed your solitary sprout!
DeleteYes, I am still disinfecting groceries! I have stopped spraying the mail that I bring in, but, I leave it out to air for a couple of days (hence the piles of daily mail!). I spray disinfectant on packages, however, and then, leave them out for a couple of days before opening them! According to our latest news, one in every five persons in my county tests positive for the virus! Our 7-day daily average for positivity rate is 20.5%. I think the need for precautions is as great as ever!
That's really funny about the Okra. Made me laugh out loud! Glad you were able to get the delivery.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny, isn't it? Glad it made you laugh! :D
DeleteYou ate a whole okra? By yourself?? In one go??? I'm shocked. That grocery shop was meant to last the week!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to the shops since early December. Instead, my sister is doing click and collect for the whole family. I prefer to select my own fruit etc. but the new version of the virus seems to be rampant so I think it better to stay out of harm's way for now. What was working before doesn't seem to be working as well any more and I fear the odds, if one does get infected, are worse than before, too. It's scary!
Yes, yes, and, yes! LOL! Amazing, isn't it? I must be the holder of some sort of okra eating record! :D
DeleteI haven't gone into a store since mid March! We went into lockdown for the first time at midnight on March 19th and I did my last in-person grocery shopping earlier that day! My daughter has been ordering the groceries online for me and I have been picking it up, curbside (our version of your click and collect).
Hahaha Before reading your post, when I saw the single okra I thought it was from your yard. But you bought one okra! 😁
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, yes! Now, I wonder what might have happened if we had ordered 1/2 (meaning 1/2 lb.)? Would they have cut a single okra in half? :D
DeleteI like the list of things you were grateful for today. One of them being the lone okra. Ha Ha
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThat lone okra must have felt very special being singled out for delivery - or maybe anxious!
ReplyDeleteIt must be a little frustrating, or maybe intriguing, to receive different items from what you actually ordered. I am reminded of the time over 50 years ago when I had Hep A and was confined to bed for 3 weeks and anything I wanted had to be bought by my mother and it didn't always turn out to be exactly what I wanted. Oh the helplessness I felt! I hope I was grateful for her help anyway.
I think that lone okra has been the most appreciated of okras! :D
DeleteYes, it is intriguing to receive different things! If I didn't want any substitutes, I have the option of saying so. Sometimes, I get better things (more expensive name brand stuff!) or something different (dulce de leche instead of condensed milk!) I go with whatever I get! At this point in time, I am grateful that there is food available, they are offering this pick up service and it is free of charge, and I have the ability to purchase what I need! Many blessings, if one thinks about it. :)
haha - that's a funny story about the lone okra.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it had a bit of ceremony for it's contribution to the dish it went in to.
My husband likes those hot Cheetos too. I often get those to go into a little goodie box I do for him at Christmas. No hot Cheetos at the store this year, he got regular.
The story of the lone okra is one of the funnier incidents I'll remember from the time of the pandemic, I think! I can see it becoming one of the "Remember the time when...?" stories we'll say when reminiscing about the past.
DeleteRegular Cheetos are good, too, but my daughter prefers the hot. :)
So funny about your single okra! I don't think I've ever eaten it. Although it's available in the UK, it's not what we'd think of as a 'mainstream' vegetable. My daughter in law once ordered what she thought was a bag of potatoes for the family for a week and it turned out to be a tiny little bag with about 5 baby potatoes in it
ReplyDeleteIt IS funny, isn't it? I didn't even think they'd sell one single okra! That's like ordering 1 green bean! I hope your DIL was able to get more potatoes! :)
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