Wonders of Wal-mart

When people first get back from overseas, the one thing that seems to be a standard, is the overwhelming feeling they have when they go to the grocery store. I remember staring at the two aisles of cereal/breakfast choices in Wal-mart a few years ago. I ended up buying a sampler pack, because I literally wanted all the cereal. It took a long time just to make that decision. In Turkey, we mostly had four cereals to choose from, sometimes as many as six.

I might be important to mention here how much I love cereal. Cereal was and is always a staple at our house. Both my brother and Dad could eat a bowl of cereal at even given point in the day. I also was not a kid deprived of sugary cereals. My favorite (and my Dad's) is still Captain Crunch. The only one Mama would not let me get was the one that was actually just little cookies, and I can understand that.

Back to my story, for every person it's a different thing that gives them that feeling. I remember Beth telling me how little produce there was in Korea, and then she came home to America and was just overwhelmed with the produce department.

I've been home for seven months, and I realized yesterday, that I still feel that way often. It takes me a long time to shop. Yesterday the Dean's French onion dip was calling my name, saying, "you've been deprived, you missed me, I'm so yummy, and be sure to get some of those Fritos that are perfect with me and you've missed for so long." I gave in.

I do often think and am reminded how much we have in America, too much most of the time. However, yesterday I was thankful for our insistent that we get what we want when we want it, so we import and have greenhouses. I enjoyed the smell of strawberries, which are not found in Turkey this time of the year, when the produce section is really hurting at this time of the year. And I gave in and purchased out of season tulips. As you know, if you read my blog, tulips are my favorite flower, and since they were five dollars, I just couldn't pass them up.