Thinking Globally

I'll bet you're thinking that this blog is going to be about the environment. Well, gentle readers, it's not. While I do care about the environment, I grow a bit weary of all the hype about going green, & oh, what's that new buzz word? Ah, yes - sustainability, that's it. Don't get me wrong - it is definitely important to protect our environment, but for cryin' out loud, there are enough blogs out there about it. Personally, I'm tired of the preaching, so let's talk about other things.

Food.

When Doug & I came back from Jamaica this last October, we made a last minute decision at the airport (before we checked our bags) to buy Eaton's Original Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce. We were heading into cold weather then & grilling was quickly becoming a fond memory, so when we got home, the sauce was put in our pantry & forgotten about until our good friends the Luces came over for a very fun canine playdate & some BBQ. (As an aside, yes, I'm aware that this linking might be considered shameless promotion, but hey - bloggers love hits & comments, right? So if you're here or there, don't be bashful...Oh, & if you followed that link, do yourself a favor & find that white Bordeaux. You won't regret it.) Doug & I finished off the last of this wonderful BBQ sauce last night, & I found myself a bit sad. This carried over into today, & after looking on the internet & becoming disgusted at the outrageous shipping costs, I remembered that there was a place nearby that came through in a pinch the last time we had a craving for things Jamaican...Global Foods Market in my hometown of Kirkwood, MO.

You see, the last 2 times that Doug & I were in Jamaica, we discovered this wonderfully refreshing Jamaican beverage - Ting & vodka. Oh. My. Gracious. We fell so hard for this delightfully crisp, slightly fizzy grapefruit soda (ok, the vodka that was mixed in didn't hurt) that we just had to have it again after a few months back in the Lou. We needed to bring back The Happy. In fact, I'd started to sing its name - tingtingting, tingtingting... Once again, I looked to the internet, & just as I was today, was angered at how ridiculous it would be to have it sent to us. In a moment of brilliance, I recalled that there was this place in Kirkwood, not far away, that promised to be our beacon of hope. So I called & asked whether or not they had Ting, & to my delight, the man declared that he not only had it, but he was looking at it right then. Glory hallelujah! We stopped in on the way home & picked up a bunch of it, & as soon as we walked in the door, we had our happy back. Cheers to The Happy! Never to be accused of being too selfish (I said "too"), we shared out Ting & vodka concoction with our friends that came over for the soiree' that Mattie mentioned a few posts ago. They were also enthralled with The Happy, & it's mentioned often. Ting, glorious Ting! Awwww....it's kinda cute, really.

Back to today. When I called this afternoon, the man - perhaps the same one - told me that they carried Eaton's, but didn't have the same one we enjoyed before in stock. They had the Jamaican Rum BBQ Sauce instead, & would that be ok?

Duh, Mister. Can't you tell when someone is frothing at the mouth?

Doug & I both worked a bit late today, but we decided that we had to make a side trip to Global Foods. Had to. We quickly found our sauce as well as a 1/2 ton of Ting, & then oh no! We remembered that we didn't have any chilled wine! Not to worry - Global Foods has a wine section, & we had a ray of sunshine.

Not for long. One look at the pathetic selecton dashed our hopes. It was chockfull of the likes of Yellow Tail, Beringer White Zinfandel (you have no idea how hard it is for me to type this), & to add to the horror, The Little Penguin. EEEEEEK! Thoughts of "I could do so much better if this were my store," & "What in the hell is wrong with these people?" raced through my head but I recovered quickly & realized that Grapevine Wines was just right up the street. We paid for our bounty of Jamaican treats & headed straight there.

We rushed in & headed straight for the cooler. I mean, a warm rose' or other warm-weather-friendly wine just wouldn' do. We were so happy to see an old favorite, the 2007 Boxcar Rose', chilled & ready to go for $14.99. We had no idea what kind of wine would pair with the Jamaican Rum sauce, but we were willing to risk it, so we grabbed it. Besides, Doug does love his pink drinks - just ask him, he'll tell you. One of the store owners recognized us & after a moment or 2 of chatting, offered us a taste of a new Zin he'd just received, the 2005 Lake Sonoma Dry Creek Zinfandel. It retailed for about $17, & from the first whiff, I was lusting a little. I love Zin, so long as it's red (& I can't believe I just clarified that). It was really good with a good bit of black pepper & cherry - doesn't it seem like that's in almost all red wines? - but we were hungry & in a hurry, so we took note, thanked the man, paid for our rose', & headed home.

Now, you may be thinking "My, Claire & Doug sure do drink a lot! The owners of wine stores know who they are!", but think, good people - a bottle of wine split between 2 people doesn't add up to much. But yes - we do drink a healthy bit, & we're happy to do so! So go ahead & judge. Heh.

So, you may be wondering, when does this story end? Right here. We fired up the grill, cooked our chicken, poured our wine, & consumed every last bite. And it was good. The food & wine pairing was just ok (perhaps a rum-based beverage would've been better, but we work in the morning) but neither one of us complained. We were off work, at home, with good food, great wine, our dogs, & each other - we were happy.