Shopping for… pumpkin?

JoeA couple of weeks before Halloween, Jennifer's office mate tipped us off to a grocery store that was selling pumpkins. I rushed across to town, and indeed there was a small wooden crate in front of the store labelled "Pumpor." Its contents? Three pie pumpkins, about half a dozen small decorative squash, and one perfectly good looking acorn squash. As these were the first pumpkins I'd found this year, I quickly grabbed the two most likely looking, as well as the acorn squash, and headed into the store. Once I got to the counter, though, things started to go wrong. The clerk peered at my squash assortment suspiciously for a moment before going off to consult with a coworker, returning shortly with a frown on her face.

"They were right outside the door," I volunteered.



Suddenly understanding, the clerk replied, "Jaha. You must buy these next door. Here they are not recognized," gesturing illustratively at the register.

What's next door? Why, a flower shop, of course. I tell you, I have never felt so much like an immigrant as I did at that moment, having just attempted to purchase a decorative plant for my dinner. Swallowing my explanation ("But, I'm going to eat them!"), I quietly made my way to the flower shop and bought my pumpkins.

Flash forward four weeks. The carving pumpkins I did eventually manage to locate have long since been carved, displayed, cooked, and eaten (mmmm, pumpkin bread!); with the passing of the holiday, all the winter squash have vanished from the stores (even, alas, from the flower shops). This afternoon, though, I went to a large, somewhat distant grocery store, which I do not normally frequent, in search of sage leaves, and was shocked to be confronted with a sign advertising "Pumpor — 16:90/kg." And the pumpkins in question? Here are the two I purchased: