We have company coming for dinner later today and Anne sent me out to buy some Parsley from the local Independent.
She encouraged me to make sure it was fresh.
“No problem”, I replied.
So off I went.
I am a person who knows his limitations, so the first thing I did upon entering the store was to seek out the Green Grocer Guy… hereinafter referred to as the GG Guy.
I ask the nice man where I might find Parsley and he kindly walked me over to a bin. He needlessly pointed out to me the sign directly above announcing naturally enough ‘Parsley’. How convenient I thought.
I hurried home with my $1.29 purchase.
I gave the bunch of greenery to Anne whereupon she smelt it and pronounced it not to be Parsley. “This”, she said, “is Cilantro”. “Cilantro has an odour whereas Parsley is odour free” Who’d have thought.
But I was not to be awed by such a theory since of course I had the utmost faith in the GG Guy – “are you sure Anne”? - she then produced a tag from the base of the greenery confirming the plant to be ‘Cilantro’.
“Galagher, don’t you know the difference between Parsley and Cilantro”? And then she quickly corrected herself …”oh, I forgot, of course you don’t”. (Having been married for over 40 years there obviously were a few things Anne had come to know about me).
She went on, “but that does not excuse the GG Guy, one would have thought that he would have known the difference between the two”.
I told Anne that I would return to the store and confront the GG Guy on his ignorance and make sure this time he gave me the correct product – i.e. I would check the tag to ensure it was labelled Parsley.
Off I went.
When I got to the store, I was relieved to see the GG Guy still stocking produce. I went up to him and smugly said, “do you recall me being here 20 minutes ago when you handed my a bunch of Parsley”?
“Yes I do” he said.
“Well dear sir what do you call this” – as I held out my now known to be bunch of Cilantro.
“Cilantro” he shot back.
“Well why did you give me Cilantro when I had asked for Parsley”?
“It was Parsley that I handed you”.
Oh Oh, I thought to myself.
“Was there both Cilantro and Parsley in that same bin”? I asked.
“Yes there was” he replied.
It then dawned on me, after the GG Guy handed me the bunch of greenery and had turned away, I had replaced it with what I thought to be a fresher bunch … as per Anne’s instructions.
In doing so, I had obviously picked up Cilantro instead of the sought after Parsley.
GG Guy had a good laugh at this whereupon he offered to go out back and fetch a really fresh batch… of Parsley that is.
When I got back home I handed Anne the new bunch which she proclaimed to be “Parsley and a most fresh bunch at that”.
If only Anne had sent me for Rutabagas, I could have easily distinguish them from turnips.
As I see it …
‘K. D. Galagher’
