Indispensable

I got up late today. Almost 9 o’clock when I woke up from a vague dream about something happened in the sitcom “Frasier”, which I watched before going to sleep. There’s no time to lose since I had to be at “Trader Joe’s” before shoppers as ravenous as me emptying the shelves of my favorite items.

When I reached the store in North Brunswick under the glaring morning sun, the line outside had been 40 meters, about 120 feet. It’s strange that I can use miles so comfortably and give up kilometers without even trying. Same for pounds. However inches, feet are beyond my easy grasp. They exist only in the format of being converted to from centimeter and meter. I wondered if other immigrants are like me. Most of the world use a different metric system than what’s used here. As I pondered on the inexplicable mind, three more people trailed the long line right before I found my face mask, locked my car, carried an empty Trader Joe double bag which I got last time I shopped, and placed myself at the end of long line of people frowning the blazing sun.

It’s a long line, but it moved surprisingly quickly. Probably because this is a small store and most people know what they would get before they come to the store. Ten minutes later, I got in. My empty double bag was confiscated at the door, for some unexplained reasons. I dashed towards sausages, and then the frozen food aisles. All my favorite items were amply stocked. Five package of frozen dumpling and seven package of frozen wonton. My eyes fell on the vegetable spring roll, which was subsequently placed in the cart. The decaf tea bag is so good and I have to get one. Too bad there’s only one decaf variety.

I am glad I discovered Trader Joe’s, which has quickly become indispensable.