Customer service

It has come to my attention that while the majority of my shopping experiences were non-eventful there have been a number (two have been noted here and here) which could be well described as noteworthy. Now, while these aforementioned events might also be tagged peculiar, with a slight bias towards the unpleasant bins of the spectrum, I give credit when credit's due, me, and present to you, my few readers, a rare manifestation of a casual shop.

I made toast with cheese[1] for dinner today but beforehand I headed down to the Sasanach Market for some ingredients. I grabbed some salami from some sausage stall and on the way out remembered that I needed to get some pasta so as I pass a convenient shop I stop and pick some op. I pass the pasta to the fellah behind the counter and he puts it into a bag (which he doesn't charge for, normally it's €0.25 for a plastic bag, a government levy to encourage reusable bagging) and gives me a free Aero chocolate bar[2]. So I get 500g of pasta, a bag and a (gone off[3]) Aero for €1.50. A lot can be said about the English, but the English market's savage.

If anyone feels inclined you can sign that petition against Heineken selling the Beamish & Crawford brewery here.

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[1] Toast with cheese
Ingredients:

• 500/600g Pasta
• 2 large onions
• 2 peppers
• 3/4 cloves of garlic
• 150g chorizo/salami sausage
• Cream
• 6 to 8 rashers
• Black pudding
• [optional]A few egg yolks
• A bit of basil

Method:

1. Slice peppers, cut onions, crush garlic, chop chorizo, cut rashers, cut pudding (and half to make half-moon puddings) and finely grate cheese [and beat yolks, if using them].
   
2. Fry the rashers and the black pudding for a few minutes. Add the peppers, onions and garlic until they're soft and caramelised. [Allow the black pudding to spread through all the ingredients].
   
3. Boil the pasta in tall saucepan.
4. Add the chorizo and basil to the frying pan and leave fry for a few more minutes.
   
5. Drain the pasta when done.
6. Add contents of frying pan to saucepan, mix and add the cream and cheese

Serves a few, depending on gender, hunger and proximity to the source.
Note: Will not cure scurvy.

[2]But of course with my being a good and honorable Irish man I cannot contemplate eating this for another week and a half yet.

[3]Whether or not it was out of date is circumstantial. The actual 'best by' date was obscured by a permanent blue marker, but we feel safe in postulating it was past this date as it was advertising a competition which, after June '08, would no longer accept new entries.