![]() ![]() ![]() Our husbands wish for mini lamb chops and a good sushi platter. On the way to the party, we discuss our noshing hopes and dreams - pigs in the blanket, bite-sized knishes, and little latkes with a dab of sour cream top our lists. Let’s get real for a minute: Hors d’oeuvres are the highlight of any simcha. Now, “work meetings” mean we’re in virtual boxes instead of real cubicles, and we don’t think the convenience of wearing our PJs makes up for the lack of free coffee and danish. In the before times, we were easily lured out of our cubicles for meetings accompanied by breakfast pastries, mini-sandwiches, and free pizza Fridays! We are already looking back fondly on the days when we’d watch our co-worker touch every sandwich before deciding on the tuna for herself. It’s always someone’s birthday at the office, and there’s always a cake. These days, with the deli offering curbside pickup only, we can only hope they remember to wrap up the pickle and tuck it into our bag. If we dined in, we’d indulge in the all-you-can-eat, self-serve pickle bar. The deli noshĪt our favorite deli, the guys behind the counter would hand out free samples - salami slices, toothpick-speared pickles - while we waited in line for our takeout order. What kid could say no? We liked the freebie because it was one less bribe for us to make. On each visit, a bakery employee in a hairnet would invite them to choose a cookie. Our kids grew up as members of the supermarket Cookie Club, and the bakery counter was our first stop. And if it was our lucky day, the local fancy bakery and the Amish stand would both be offering samples of their chocolate chip cookies. At the adjacent farmer’s market, we’d try the cheese and crackers slathered with fig jam. There was gnocchi in truffle sauce and guacamole with baby carrots in the supermarket. Getting free bites at various shops was a treasure hunt, and if we timed it right, we could graze enough to call it a meal. We present this list of lost opportunities: 1. We realize how much we miss schmoozing with the deli guy, chatting with the supermarket check-out lady, and hanging with our co-workers. ![]() When Costco suspended its samples, USAToday reported that “consumers mourned the loss of the smorgasbord of free snacks.” The Twitterverse went crazy: One man wondered, “Where am I supposed to get free lunch now?” A young woman wrote, “If I’m going to die at least let me live wild & go to the same sample stand 6 times.”Īs the pandemic drags on, we’re shopping less and Zooming more. But members of the tribe weren’t the only ones rattled by current free-nosh prohibitions. How sanitary could they be? Intellectually, we had our doubts - but those didn’t stop us from eating.Īs Jews, we grew up noshing - at bubbe’s house, at the kiddush after services, in the back seat while our parents schlepped us to activities. Of course, the girl handing out sausage bites wore gloves, but she gazed at her phone in between customers, still wearing those gloves. When we reached for the chips and salsa atop the deli counter, we’d hear George Costanza in our head accusing the guests of double dipping. In our deepest heart of hearts, we’ve long known it wasn’t germ-free. Of course we can live without the supermarket salad bar - but we really miss it. But we’re grateful that our families are well and our fridges are full - and we recognize the luxury of kvetching about the small stuff amidst a deadly pandemic. All gone.īut who are we to complain? Yes, we’ve had to forage for yeast, and we’ve spent countless hours trying to secure an Instacart delivery slot. Next came the loss of the self-serve items: the gourmet olive bar at Wegmans the scoop-it-yourself barrels of rice, lentils, and chocolate covered almonds at the health food store the coffee station at the convenience store, where we mixed the hazelnut and dark roast exactly how we liked it. When Costco, the king of freebies, announced on March 6 that it was no longer serving free samples because of the coronavirus, we feared that the free nosh was not long for this world.ĭays later, our fears became true: Albertsons, Trader Joe’s, and other food markets we frequent stopped their sampling. ![]() We don’t go out of our way for a free taste, and we certainly don’t linger beyond our welcome, but if it’s offered, who are we to say no? The sour pickle at the deli, the black and white cookie at the Jewish bakery, the Dixie-cup coffee sample at Trader Joe’s. We’re not shnorrers, but we do love a free nosh. ![]()
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