“Hallowe’en Party” And The Change Of Taste

I thought I was going to read Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party” today, but I just can’t bring myself to read it. I feel that I am trying to squeeze myself into the jeans I used to wear when I was a teenager. Not that I wore jeans in those days. I was so skinny then and didn’t like jeans very much. I am just saying that I was crazy about Agatha Christie as a teenager and read everything from her I could got hold of. They were translated versions and I yearned to read the original but couldn’t find it. After coming to America, I could get it easily, but by then I had moved on, no longer having an interest in it. Today I came across this Halloween book online and thought that I should read it, but I couldn’t do it. It takes me years to realize that other people’s taste is not my taste, my former taste is not my taste, the taste I think I should have is not really my taste. For example, for a long time, I admire those quick jokes, but not anymore. Now I like things that are explained more fully and unfortunately in the process of doing that, the joke is mostly likely lost forever.

It is said that valerian roots can cure insomnia and sooth nervous tension. I decided to get some, but where? I ordered online, but it will only arrive on or after Nov 9th. That’s ten days away. I was standing at Trader Joe’s store and wondering where I could buy some. Suddenly I realized that I could go to Walmart, which is practically located in the next plaza. This is at the junction of Route 1 and Route 130, the two main arteries of New Jersey. So I drove over. I haven’t been to this plaza for years and when I arrived, I almost got confused and got lost in the crowded parking lot. I parked at first at a spot not too far away from a big fading blue sign of “Walmart”, but when I got out of the car and walked towards the sign, I realized this is either the storage space on the side of the store or a curbside pick up spot. I had to get back into the car and queue behind a long line of cars to get to the front of the store. It was so congested that one would think that Christmas arrives early this year. I was thinking to myself, “No wonder the Covid cases in the state are going up. Look at this crowded store without much social distancing. What’s going to happen when Thanksgiving and Christmas arrive? The cases will climb even more for sure.”

It’s after all much ado about nothing. This Walmart doesn’t have valerian roots. I still have to wait for the online order to come. However this Walmart has changed completely since last time I was here, which I couldn’t remember when. Half of the store is organized exactly like other Walmart, and the other half is exactly like a ShopRite grocery store. I stared at the soda and chipes–I used to like them so much–but my taste has changed now.