25 February 2011

City Sights: Food Bank

It's my third time riding the train into the city and even though I ran into a major freeway car accident, got off on the wrong exit and got lost, didn't validate my ticket for fear of missing my train, I got on and made it to L.A.  And for the first time, my bus was right there as soon as I got to the bus stop and not 40 minutes late.

There was a light sprinkle of rain and I shared the bus with lots of white haired and eager Chinese elderly that were dragging wheeled carryons and carts.  As I walked down the road to my office, I realized we were all walking in the same direction and then it hit me...they were going to the food bank.  Every friday morning, hundreds of people line up for the food bank in the parking garage of my work.  It's hosted by the Cathedral Center of St. Paul.

Maybe it's my love for food and cooking and fresh ingredients and all that that entails but when I see mountains of yellow onions and bins of cabbages and people lining up to receive a box of produce and pantry items, I am so moved.  It is free food in a hard world and though they pay by standing in long lines and many journey by bus and foot to get there, I can see their excitement.

I grabbed a mug of hot tea and walked around again and when I passed the front of the line, I saw a man sorting through his bin on the sidewalk explaining with excitement that the carton of cream of mushroom soup in his hand could make an amazing steak gravy and sauce.  I could hear them salivating.

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