Someone To Talk To

While I was at the produce market yesterday, a very nice Oriental lady, whose first language was not English, struck up a conversation with me. I understood about 90% of what she was saying. She began by asking me which package of mushrooms I thought weighed the most*, and told me how she cooked them with onions and garlic and peppers and salt and a bit of sugar. I listened, asked questions, and she seemed eager to tell me about it. I told her I had never thought of using sugar to bring out the flavor of veggies this way, and she seemed happy that she had taught me something new.

As I left, I noticed she was talking to another customer in the store. It left me wondering if she was just naturally gregarious, or if she just needed someone to practice her English conversation skills with, or if she just wanted someone to talk to. Maybe it was a bit of all of that.

So often we don't stop to talk with people when they try to strike up a conversation. Maybe we should try to give these people at least a minute or two, they might just need someone to talk to.

Today is:

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Omelet Day

Feast of St. Sunniva, Norse
Festa dos Tabuleiros, Portugal (Festival of the Trays

Heritage Day

Lindenfest, Rhineland, Germany

National Cherry Festival

National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day (Why can't they have this one during the school year when all the kids are out selling those for school fundraisers? That way I wouldn't have to leave the house to go get some.)

Old Crafts Day (Old time crafts, or old crafts you've had sitting around the house and never gotten done? If you have the latter, do them or toss them!)

SCUD Day -- Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama (Somebody please tell this to the news media!)

St. Aquila and Prisca Day

Video Games Day (Another one you don't want the children to learn about, unless you want to have to take a trip to rent a new one.)

This Day in History:

Founding of Paris (951)
Jacob Barsimson departs for Manhattan/New Amsterdam, will become the first Jewish colonist to arrive in what would become the US (1654)
The US State Department issues it's first passport (1796 -- wonder if the guy is still waiting for it?)