random truths – Day 1,034 (Sunday) – mandu

Dance class started today, so it was the ride down routes 113 and 119. It had been quite a while since the last time I traveled this path. Class was good, and because I haven’t done a thing since the last time we danced together months ago, I was feeling it immediately. Thank goodness for the heated seat in the car.

When I say I “haven’t done a thing,” it’s pretty close to a literal statement. This past summer and fall saw no hiking, no walking, no bike riding. With the drought, there was very little lawn mowing. There were no yoga or dance classes following videos. It’s entirely possible that this was the laziest summer and fall of my adult life. The price is already being paid in the form of some very vocal muscles.

Dance class is near a Family Dollar store which is much better than the one near the house. The Townsend store is neat and organized, whereas Dracut usually looks like it was ransacked. In Townsend, the prices on the shelf tags match the prices at the register. The freezers in Dracut were broken for months, and have sat empty in the several weeks since they’ve been replaced, taunting me with the continued absence of the egg rolls that I liked for convenience, taste, and low, low price.

After dance class, I stopped at Family Dollar to check for frozen egg rolls. Yes, I know there is already too much food, but Lunar New Year is next weekend and suddenly it seemed like it would be fun to have something to go with the last of the frozen Korean scallion pancake from Trader Joe’s. 

Instead of heading directly to the freezers, I walked through the store to enjoy the tidiness. Taking the scenic route to the freezer meant that items were gathered – black beans, makeup remover wipes, tiny hair clips for when my bangs are in my eyes and testing my patience, food storage bags, trash bags. While clutching all the items, the freezer case was searched as I paced back and forth a couple times analyzing the contents behind the glass doors.

Fried mandu and
soy sauce with ginger.

Family Dollar has really improved its frozen food game. There were no egg rolls, which was a minor disappointment upon discovering there were Korean food selections. My pulse quickened at the sight. I bought a bag of bibigo brand fried mandu (dumplings), but decided to wait on the steamed version. 

Lunch was mandu with soy sauce with grated ginger. They took a bit longer to fry than the directions indicated, but they were really good and worth the wait. Hopefully, the local store will finally receive some frozen food and stock the freezers with egg rolls and mandu. But until then, I’ll keep enjoying the store in Townsend.