Today's Specials in the Produce Aisle

A good and fine morn to you all, this winter's day. Please don't mind the snow on the sidewalk there, I've been shoveling all morning, but the wind keeps drifting it back into place. It's even covered over my tin can there. Most bothersome.

But even in snow, my good friends and readers, one can find something to laugh at oneself about, yes? We could certainly ruminate upon the weather, but let's wander our eyes to Spain today, how about. As I was leafing through the newsstand's board of fare the other day, my gaze tripped upon an article from those ever-sharp eyes at BBC News detailing bananas with a secret prize in the packing carton: cocaine!  I'll give you all a few moments if you'd care to swing past your music service of choice and cue up the appropriate Clapton song whilst you read.

Apparently, a stocker at a grocer's in Madrid found a brick of cocaine under his bananas.  What indeed do you say to that, my friends, if you were that employee?  Do you call for a clean-up in the produce aisle? Tap your other co-workers discreetly and arrange for a ration of mirrors and a razor blade? Alert your manager in hopes that he or she won't want to share, or worse yet, confiscate it? The mind boggles. You must admit, though, regardless of the road one takes upon finding such a thing, that a brick of cocaine is at least, quite an improvement on finding the proverbial sachet of tarantulas hiding inside, of the deadly black variety to be sure. In any event, we are apparently to be assured that none of the substance made it onto the store shelves, but I personally find this to be the least shocking of facts. Regardless of one's moral road traveled, I would have been magnificently surprised had a brick of cocaine simply been put on the shelf by your average stock hand. Well, not without a 'for sale' sign attached at least.

According to the news report linked above, apparently an error of some sort caused the bundles to be left in the fruit rather than being properly retrieved post-smuggle. An error. One wonders if the persons in charge of such things took such a light-handed view of the matter. But an error, certainly is what occurred, in cross-marketing if nothing else.  Cocaine with bananas?  Come now, those two things go together about as well as pogo sticks and porcelain plates. Note the thinking of the 5 smugglers reported arrested a few lines farther south. Their goods were at least bundled with whiskey. While I haven't the foggiest notion as to which is the appropriate hard liquor to imbibe whilst sampling one's cocaine, I have to at least give proper credit for a bundled product that at least seems more appropriate together.

I think that will do for today, my friends.  Thank you for stopping by once again to spend a few moments with your ears in thrall. I shall look forward to your next pass by my humble corner. Meanwhile?  Have yourselves, all of you, an excellent day.