Seeing things through the eyes of a child can really change your perspective—even at the grocery store. The quotidian scene of my own humdrum domestic drudgery recently took on the glamour of the National Air & Space Museum when my 4-year-old toured with his playschool class.
Thanks to the hospitable team at the Bellevue Publix, we saw the ins and outs of the supermarket from the deli to the bakery to the walk-in freeezers. Highlights included sampling Boar's Head meats and cheeses; watching our very own cupcakes get decorated; seeing a pineapple get cored and tasting that pineapple; observing the kneading, shaping and slicing of fresh bread; and very best of all...tickling a lobster.
Interestingly, our trip around the perimeter of the store—from deli to bakery to produce to meat—omitted altogether the aisles of highly processed foods, thereby serving as a useful nutritional metaphor.
The free half-hour circuit, complete with hair nets and goodie bags and available to anyone, was an unqualified success. Too bad the same can't be said of all supermarket trips.
