Recently, I was reading one of my favorite blogs that was recommending a twisted new book called The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson. It is about the lives of people who obsess over the obituraries and much like the author of the post, I found it almost comforting to know that there are people out there with such a quirky pastime. So this morning I was looking up the book on Amazon, just to see whether I could get it used at a cheap price. Instead of the usual portal to the book search engine, there was a notice to visitors of the Amazon site introducing their new online grocery store.
Well, there are certain items in recent years that I’ve become fond of, but that have disappeared from the local physical stores in my area. Well, I’m just passively listening in class after staying up half the night to finish our mini-term paper, so I decide to peruse the virtual aisles of the friendly neighborhood Amazon grocery. And lo and behold, this little miracle store built out of the ether of the net has my large pearl couscous. Not only that, it is much cheaper buying it through Amazon in bulk than it was when I bought it one or two at a time in person. Like half price, actually.
Needless to say, I once again gave thanks to the powers that be which hurtle us along towards an integrated and globalized world. Now, when it comes to civil liberties, I’m all for supporting the rights of the “little guy.” However, I tend to be economically conservative and very pro free trade, especially when it delivers hard-to-get goods to my neck of the woods. Couscous is not a standard staple in my area of the map, but I could use it on a daily basis just as people use rice, noodles, or potatoes. Large couscous is a different and wonderfully-textured animal from the little crumb-like stuff most people imagine, if they know what couscous is at all. Thankfully, the net is making it possible to grab the best of every region in an accessible and cheap manner that was not possible even five years ago. Now, I just need to find a bonafide source of quality marzipan.
-jd
