A Random Conversation Over Japanese Cauliflower in NYC

2-Minute Take

Union Square Farmers Market, NYC - Photo by the Author

I stood at my favorite organic farm at the Union Square Farmers Market, selecting the perfect Japanese cauliflower to take home with me. (This is sometimes labeled as flowering cauliflower.) The market started selling them a few years ago, and I have loved them since the very beginning.

A woman with a kind smile stopped for a moment and started chatting about how much she likes them. And so began our conversation.

She said she wished they had a longer season and told me about her two most recent cooking creations – one paired with potatoes in an omelet, and one combined with leeks, peas and pistachios over pasta. And then she took out her phone and showed me photos – which looked both beautiful and delicious!

I told her I’ve been adding frozen baby artichokes to my mixed vegetables and mentioned buying them at Whole Foods. She thought about that a moment and said that sounded very good, and then added that she is a Trader Joe’s fan and does not like shopping at Whole Foods.

As she walked away after we said goodbye, she turned and added with an impish smile, “But I still shop there.” I have a feeling that artichokes are in her culinary future – just as adding pistachios is in mine.

For my part, I am not a fan of Trader Joe’s. Isn’t it refreshing when a difference of opinion is met collaboratively – where there is no right or wrong, where an opinion is something to be explored, where deliciousness is the overriding consideration?

Delicious food and experiences are at their best when shared – even if only in words.

Have you had an interesting random conversation lately? I’d welcome hearing about it in the comments.

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