Here to Help

On an impulse, I interrupted my path to the checkout at Alma and headed to the back of the store to see if there was anything interesting on the salad counter. (It's a thrill a minute chez pinolona these days).

After pondering for several moments over various chopped things in mayonnaise, I plumped for something like 'sałatka rubenska' (it had ogórki in it, and I'm a fan. I might have mentioned this).

The woman behind the counter shook her head.

- Oh no, I don't think you want that.

I was a bit taken aback. Had I not said what I thought I'd said? (this happens often).

- Why not? I asked. 'What's wrong with it?'

- It's just not very good.

- Ok, what about that one, next to it?

- Uhh ... no that's not really so great either.

I felt discouraged.

- Which one is good then?

- Oh... pretty much all of them... Except that one. Try potato salad, egg salad....
Spatula in hand, she indicated several different trays loaded with obscure shapes slopping around in oceans of mayonnaise.

- Uhh... actually I'm not really so keen on mayonnaise...

The woman behind the counter looked understandably stumped for a moment (mayonnaise plays a major role in Polish salad culture) and then pointed me towards the tuna.

Tuna and rice. It seemed like a nice, safe idea so I relented.

Thank goodness for Polish customer service, saving me from my otherwise kamikaze appetite for weird Slavic stuff in unknown substances ...