Throughout my life, I've found myself in some rather strange situations. I've seen things that I can't believe I saw, met people I can't believe I met, experienced things I can't believe I had the pleasure (or displeasure) of experiencing, etc. Knowing this, the bizarre happenings I've seen at a local grocery store should be no surprise to me. I won't disclose the name of the store because I don't want loyal patrons to go elsewhere, and I like the store so I'm not faulting them for the gaffes of some of their less than smooth shoppers.
About 2 or 3 months ago I was shopping at this particular grocery store, and as I passed by the salad bar with my cart, I saw a woman picking chicken out of the salad bar and eating it. She wasn't making a salad, she simply picked chicken out of the salad bar pan, with her fingers, and ate it. This woman was probably in her mid to late 60s, very well-dressed, well-coiffed. She wasn't lacking in the money department, judging by her outward appearance. I thought maybe I was hallucinating and hadn't properly seen the situation so I looked again. I saw things correctly. This woman was picking chicken out of the salad bar with her bare fingers, eating the chicken, and putting her grubby little fingers back in the pan and repeating. Does she realize she is shoplifting? Does she not care that she is putting her hands directly in food that other people are going to scoop up with the PROVIDED SALAD UTENSILS to take home to their families? It was like a train wreck. I wanted to keep watching but I was appalled and a little frightened. She might actually be bat-shit crazy and if I keep watching, she may come over and kill me.
Later that evening I told Zeus the story. He was equally appalled, and I can tell you this, I haven't made a salad from that salad bar since witnessing this incident, and probably won't.
This week I was shopping in the same store and I was looking at the sushi, thinking I'm not really keen on buying sushi from a grocery store but it looked good so I considered it for a minute...wait, I'm getting off track. While looking at the sushi, I suddenly smelled chili, and I looked around, and I saw a woman, a shopper, stirring the chili at the salad bar. She then pulled a small styrofoam cup from her purse, put a ladle-full of chili in this little cup and began to eat it right there on the salad bar! This woman was also in her mid to late 60s, though I don't think it was the same woman eating the chicken from the salad bar (but it could have been). She was also very well-dressed and her hair was salon cut. She didn't seem to lack money either, yet she is stealing chili from the salad bar! What is going on? I mentally outlined every possible reason for doing this that I could. I even considered the scenario that she has low-blood sugar or something and she needed to eat right then and there, but she would pay for it when she checks the rest of her groceries out (I'm a little less cynical this week or I wouldn't have even considered this a possibility, I would have just stuck with the "she is bat-shit crazy" story).
Why is this happening? Why are these women doing this? I know many women of that age and none of them would have the audacity to something so gauche. I don't know but it was creeping me out for the remainder of the afternoon.
I again told Zeus my tale of the uncouth, seemingly well-to-do woman, using the grocery store salad bar as a personal trough (though at least she brought and used her own cup, and she did use a plastic spoon from the salad bar--she didn't bring her own spoon). I asked Zeus why it is that I witness these atrocities (that word might be a bit strong, as there are certainly worse things in the world)? Is it serendipity? I am I doomed to be witness to the oddest of the odd among us? Oh, I hope so!
--Fortuitous Observer
