Alright, so perhaps not everyone finds them as amusing as I do. But I also must tell you the story of one of my experiences at Trader Joe's.
I'm sure they're quite used to the strangest people coming in there, being one of the stranger stores themselves (But oh, how I love those stores) So we probably weren't the worse case they've seen.....but nevertheless it was quite amusing and very fun.
So, I'm in the car with some friends of our family, who we will call Mr. & Mrs. H. - they're like my second grandparents and I absolutely love them. They were taking me to a flute performance. So we are dressed up. Note that it was a Jewish Hanukkah event I was playing at....and Mr. H was wearing a yamaka, one of those Jewish hats.
May I also remind you that I am part Asian.
So, we pass a Trader Joe's.
Mrs. H: Oh! We should go to Trader Joe's and get Hannah a tissue box!!!!
*I give a questioning look to Mrs. H, who is leaning eagerly towards the front seat to Mr. H, who is driving.*
Mr. H: Oh! Yeah, we need to get her one!
*I smile and nod....*
(this is all on the spur of the moment)
Mrs. H: (rather excitedly) See, there are these tissue boxes, and they are the funniest thing, because instead of normal designs on them, they have writing!
*I smile, nod, and think to myself that I am sure I have seen tissue boxes with writing on them somewhere before, but didn't know why they were so special.*
We park, pile out of the car, and enter the store. We don't want to be late for the flute performance, so we're jogging a bit.
In our black skirts and white shirts. And yamakas.
We run around for a bit, and then find the tissue boxes....which turn out to be much more amusing than I had expected. And very fitting that this family would enjoy them. =]
(click to enlarge)
Aren't they awesome? I love how the pictures are so old fashioned. It's quite a creative idea.
So, I am amused, and they proceed to buy one for me. Then they decide they want to buy about 7 more for some more of their friends.
So I'm running around in my performance clothes with Mr. H with his yamaka, Mrs. H, who is about 2 inches shorter than me, and about 5 or 6 tissue boxes piled in my arms.
Then Mr. H decides he wants to get my family some jam.
Mr. H: You must try some of this jam, we have about 3 jars at home, and it is delicious.
*We wander for a few minutes*
Me: (through the armload of tissue boxes) Mr. H, it's alright, you don't have to worry about the jam...
*No reply from Mr. H, who is searching the shelves.....*
Me: Mrs. H, would you like me to get a basket? (we now have tissue boxes, nuts, and one or two other things)
Mrs. H: Oh, sure, that'd be great....
*I hurry to a basket (tissue boxes and all) and am all the while thinking Oh, I love my life...and all the people in it.*
We can't seem to find the jam, so we run up to the store clerk, who couldn't quite figure out what we were talking about, (I mean...yamaka, tissue boxes, and all...) to ask for the jam. So, he sent us to the refrigerated department, where we found other kinds of fruit spreads, but no jam.
(mind you, this is a special kind of jam we're looking for)
After asking around a few more times, we locate the jam.
Checkout:
Mrs. H: (after piling the 6 or so boxes onto the counter along with the jam and a few other things) Don't you just love those tissues boxes?
Checkout boy: Yeah, aren't they great?
Mrs. H: We don't need the tissues....we just buy them for the box!
*Checkout boy smiles, obviously amused*
We run out to the car, get in, (yamaka, jam, tissue boxes, and all) and make it to my flute performance early.
I love my life. And my "grandparents". And being weird in grocery stores. =]
