Some friends are coming over for dinner tonight, and so Jake and I had to run some errands this morning. One of my favorite things about living in Brooklyn is that I get to walk everywhere. And so this morning we walked to the butcher, the vegetable stand, the gourmet market for some spices, and sweet little bakery for dessert.
Usually, I keep to myself and try to get in and out as quickly as possible, but I realized by doing that I'm missing out on one of the biggest perks of living in a place like Brooklyn, and that is getting to know your shopkeepers. Everyone loves a little conversation, and independent stores really appreciate their customers. The cookie shop might just throw in an extra cookie for kiddo, the vegetable stand throws in the garlic free of charge, and the butcher gives you a "special" price on that slab of bacon.
So, today I mustered up some courage, and while I was at the butchers I asked William if he knew of anywhere in the neighborhood to buy cajeta. It took him a minute (my pronunciation must be seriously bad), and then his face kind of lit up. "OH, CAJETA! Are you making something? It's good to eat on crackers you know, or just out of the jar. But, no I don't know anywhere around here...maybe if you head down 5th (to Sunset Park, just as I suspected)." So, I said thank you, and I was just about to leave when, "I live in Queens, and you know, I can get cajeta just about anywhere. Tomorrow is my day off, but why don't I pick you up some, and then I can bring it to the store on Saturday."
WOW.
Really? So he said, yes no problem! I said thank you about a million times, and then I skipped out the door to finish my errands. So just imagine if I hadn't decided to open up and ask? I would've missed out on a lovely conversation, and a bottle of cajeta! It feels like I've made a huge step in the right direction. Now, when I pick up my goodies on Saturday, I can start the conversation about Tortilleria Nixtamal! I'm so happy that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and start a conversation!
image courtesy of ork posters www.orkposters.com
Agreed! When I moved out of my hometown, to a place where I knew not a sole, one of my favorite things was establishing relationships with the neighborhood shopkeepers. It created a sense of community in a new environment. Now, a year later, I get free tuberose every week from Robert at the farmers market.
ReplyDeleteOh, I miss not being able to do that!! You are a true Brooklynite...talking to the Butcher.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great benefit to shopping local and supporting localism. This inspires me too to slow down and strike up conversation. When I'm with the kids I also have tendency to rush.
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