Ricotta, mozzarella
melting in our mouths.
"How much money?" we ask.
"No money," the man smiles,
"You woman eat for free."
This poem was inspired by yesterday's outing to Arthur Avenue. We ladies were picking up several pounds of ricotta and mozzarella from the cheese shop my great-grandmother shopped at for year after year. She always picked up her ricotta for special occasions there because cheese anywhere else "just wasn't the same." I think our delight over cheese (along with questions and anecdotes) must have delighted the cheese-man, because he gave us a huge slab of ricotta to eat on the way and a mozzarella in the shape of a pig for my little sister. When we asked how much we owed him for our 3-4 pounds of cheese, he told us he'd "called his manager" and there was no charge for us. We almost cried, we were so touched by his sweetness.
Aw.
ReplyDeleteRarely do you find such people in the world.
As a child, my mother's mouth always would water when she passed by the candy store, but her mother never lent her the penny she needed in order to quench her longing. :)
Finally, (after much pleading I'm sure) my mother got her penny. She raced into the store, only to find that it was under new ownership and they had changed the prices. Her desired candy was not 2 cents, and extra penny.
"No." Said the man at the counter. And he wouldn't give my mother the candy for one less cent.
My mother and I are always puzzled at why one small penny less made that much of a difference when making a eight year olds day happier was involved.
Thanks for your inspiring story.
Lydia