Trepidation And Fish Death Part 2
So here I type, entering into this inane blog. It's past my usual entry time as today is Turkey day...I slept in until 6:30! While many people will take this day to rest and feast, those of us in retail start thinking about Friday from the moment we wake. It is a sickness that afflicts anyone in retail management.One of the last things I told my managers is not to think about the job on Thursday, Thanksgiving. "Enjoy the company of your friends and family, you can think about work when you wake up on Friday," I said. Classic do as I say, not as I do moment!...
I can't help it. I have always been this way. Although the day after Thanksgiving is no longer the largest volume day, it is definitely in the top five! I get obsessed over days as this one, tomorrow. When the energy of my store will be at its maximum. I get a genuine rush from the hustle and bustle. I joke with my managers that I want to see lines galore.
Yeah, I have certain trepidation over the next few weeks. This is retail's World Series and Super Bowl. If we do not get this one right, it sets a horrible tone for the coming year. I know my little store will rock tomorrow...I know it...I can feel it...
But before tomorrow's festivities (I will be at work by about 5 a.m., by the way!) we have a feast to attend to.
My dad is an abalone addict. A freak. A fiend. A junkie. He absolutely loves the taste of this very expensive sea delicacy. Okay, the French have their escargot, my dad has his sea snail. So when I confessed that Tin Tin Market (see my original post in October, The Smell Of Death, to see more of this Oriental market) actually had a tank of live abalone, Dad immediately stated that I needed to hook him up with his fix."Abalone me!..." he whispered in a secretive tone.
Okay...maybe my dad didn't say that I needed to hook him up with his fix, nor did he whisper, "Abalone me..." But, he might have well! He did not even flinch when I told him that it was running about $45 a pound!
So as "Stuff Yourself Until You Cannot Move" day approached I dispatched poor Andrea to Tin Tin Market to pick up the very expensive rubbery mollusk. Why Andrea and not me you ask? Hey, you try to work retail this time of year and try to have any semblance of an outside life!
Dutifully, Andrea went to the market. Some background - Andrea and I once had batch of live mussels sent to us as a gift (thank you Joe and Karen!) We chose the mussels over the lobster, as we felt that fishy death for mussels wouldn't be as bad as the scrambling lobsters who would be trying to get out of their killer jacuzzi.Unfortunately as we steamed the mussels they began to open and close. Andrea presents a tough exterior, but she truly is a softy inside. She almost began to cry as the shells slowly unclenched themselves...as if they were silently calling for help. Needless to say, I ate the mussels alone...and they were delicious....once again thanks Joe and Karen!
So back to November 22, 2006, I get a frantic call on my cell at work. "Neil! They're squirming!" Okay, let's be clear, abalone probably don't squirm, however, I am sure they were not too happy to be dragged from the cool, wet confines of their tank to the clear plastic bag that Andrea now possessed. At this point I think Andrea was having Vietnam flashbacks of the mussel incident.
Like a trooper she dragged our little snail friends home to our refrigerator. Another unfortunate side effect of the abalones was that they made our entire refrigerator smell like an oriental market...yep...the smell of fish death filled our fridge. I think I'm going to be the one picking up my dad's abalone fix next time...
And there they wait, cooling in our refrigerator, for my dad's feast today...
So on that note...Happy Thanksgiving! I hope if you are reading this, you log off soon and go enjoy your family and friends. Peace - Neil
posted by LoneCactus @ 7:47 AM
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