“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 915 (Sunday) – tori day

There was a plan for the day. The Finnish Club at Saima Park was holding the annual fall tori (market) and car show, which had been on my calendar for weeks. Along with vendors selling traditional straw ornaments and birch bark pieces, holiday ornaments, books, and gift items, the tori usually has my three favorite booths, a bakery booth and two gift shops that have Finnish candy.

The bakery booth is usually busy selling out of a lot of Finnish coffee bread, rye bread, and rusk, which is cinnamon seasoned, hard-toasted slices of coffee bread. The rusk is basically a bakery version of crack and once you have one slice just accept your fate. You will keep eating it, so don’t bother pretending there will be any left. Just kiss the bag goodbye.

Last year at the tori, I bought some treats. There was salmiakki, a strong licorice, and Finnish chocolate bars with salmiakki. I got only a small amount of each, because I’d never had it and didn’t know if I would like it. Turned out I love it, and now I need a discounted direct connection to Finnish salmiakki treats, because it is a little pricey.

Despite being ready to leave the house at 9:00 to arrive at the tori for the 10:00 opening, it didn’t happen. Mom had called about our plan to meet and the news of a flat tire on her car that was being dealt with and derailing her tori plans. Meanwhile, I was running through my bank balance and assessing what I would likely spend on frivolous Finnish baked goods when I really needed actual groceries.

There was also the now near-panic situation of what to wear to an upcoming wedding. On Friday. This Friday, just a few days away. Spending time at the tori suddenly felt like less of a good idea when I should be in a store getting groceries and then freaking out about what to wear to a wedding on the first full day of fall when it could be either 100 degrees or 40.

Instead of the Finnish market, it was the local Market Basket for me. It had been at least a month since the last “full shop” and the list was long with basics. I don’t know if this was a typical MB Sunday, but today around 11:00, it was nuts. In addition to the basics, several luxury items were discovered. There were no fresh, in-store roasted chickens to be found in the usual heated display (they were still spinning in the roasting machine), but some chilled roasted chicken parts were found, right next to some cooked, chilled lobsters. The time stamps on these items indicated they hade been put out just minutes earlier and I felt incredibly lucky. The imagination ran wild with ideas for lobster embellished dishes. 

Angel hair with lobster.

Within an hour of arriving home from MB, it was full-blown Betty Crocker mode at The BungaLowell. Brussels sprouts had been trimmed. Potatoes had been sliced. These had been tossed with olive oil and seasonings and were nearly ready to emerge from the oven in all their caramelized glory. Then it was back out into the wild with a quick trip to Nashua and the retail wonders of Daniel Webster Highway. 

The first stop was Savers, which used to be an incredible source for cool items for home and wardrobe. Lately, the store features prices that are higher than those in store selling new items. There was more success down the road at TJ Maxx, where a brand-new top was bought for less than the cost of the tops in Savers. Victory was achieved in the form of a crucial garment for the outfit for the wedding.

Within a few minutes of arriving home again, Winston was fed, and my own sumptuous meal was underway. Angel hair and butter, cream and cheese sauce was prepared for the lobster. It was delicious. The rest of the lobster meat was mixed with mayo for lunch on Monday, mostly because I lost the energy to make the lobster macaroni and cheese that was imagined when debating the lobster purchase. It will be a couple days of fine dining before the normal lazy suppers of potato chips or ramen resume.