facebook   linkedin   goodreads    Buy the Book
  • Home
  • Authors
    • Sister Authors
    • Meet Leslie
    • Meet Meryll
  • Book
    • About the Book
    • Discussion Questions
    • Beyond the Pale
    • Behind the Scenes
    • More about the Dedication Page
    • Reviews
  • Blog
    • Latest Blogs
    • Featured Books
    • Blog Archive
  • Extras
    • Deleted Chapters
      • Choose Your Beginning
        • The Missing Introduction
        • Alternate Chapter 1
      • Ballerina Alla
      • Baubie Chapters
        • Celestial Tea and Essig Flaish
        • Celestial Tea and Mandelbrot
        • Celestial Tea and Poppy Seed Cookies
    • Recipes from Baubies
      • Recipes from Grandma Rae
        • Essig Flaish
        • Mandelbrot
        • Mohn Cookies
  • Press
    • Press Kit
    • In the Media
    • Reviews
  • Events
  • Contact
Font size: + –
Print
Bookmark |

A Good Place to Live or Byerly’s Grocery Could Bring Communism to Its Knees

Sunday, 29 May 2016
Leslie
Jewish Luck Blog
1522 Hits
0 Comments

thumbnail_IMG_6710.jpg

As the 15 year old Byerly’s employee was loading the case of bottled water into the car, I looked at Harry and said “Did you buy these?”   I was especially surprised given that five minutes before, we were discussing the potential green advantages of cremation.  As usual, I had driven away from Byerly’s completely forgetting I was supposed to pick up our groceries from the drive through.  Harry had the two bin numbers in his lap but claimed he was observing my rule that he can’t criticize me because my car does it for me with its many beeps in “eyesight.”  As we were returning to Byerly’s, we passed a fountain at The Cremation Society that Harry found aestheically displeasing.  I asked him “Does that mean you won’t be cremated?”  We paused in thought.  We shared that we wouldn’t mind being cremated as long as we didn’t know it.  It seems more ecologically sound.  And now he’s buying plastic bottles when we have perfectly good water from our faucets?

Moreover, why didn’t I know he bought these bottles?  Well, we have a ritual which has been developed over 32 years that when we grocery shop together with one cart, we rarely plan, make lists, or go down the aisles together. I don’t recommend it, but this has worked out nicely for us.  Sometimes there are surprises.

Harry, always reluctant to hurt anyone’s feelings (like the young lad’s) said “no” to the bottled water from bin 119 and we realized we were missing bin 199.   As we scratched off items that we did have, we realized that our bin of ice cream novelties, meats, and fishes (fresh tuna and salmon) had been given to someone else and – in exchange, we got a case of water.

The managers at Byerly’s represent the finest in Minnesota Nice, and told us that if we wanted to let them know what we were missing, they would shop for us and replace our items as well as give us a gift card. 

As we were waiting for our personal shopper to complete the task, I listed all the remarkable aspects of this event.  Listing out the remarkable in what to others might be mundane is a favorite habit of mine.

What was remarkable about this event.

  1. In the store, somebody else took my cart by accident instead of me taking someone else’s as usual.  I told the older man when he sheepishly returned my cart that such mysterious moments are what makes shopping experiences so interesting! Plus, he really admired our grocery choices.  So we provided him with inspiration.
  2. We noticed that we hadn’t picked up our groceries within 5 minutes of leaving the premises instead of when we arrived home.
  3. We were aware that we didn’t get all our groceries, and that they were loading bottled water into our car – lots of it.
  4. We found the receipt
  5. We had fun checking off from the receipt what we had from the first bin and what was in the missing Bin 199.
  6. We didn’t care.
  7. We had a lot of time on our shopping day.
  8. We felt special.
  9. We got a gift card that we can actually use.
  10. Everyone wins.  We get a gift certificate.  Bin 119 gets our protein and a lot of great ice cream novelties.  Byerly’s gets good PR, and I finally get inspiration for a blog.

“But how does this tie into the fine nonfiction book about Russia, Jewish Luck?” you might ask.  I remember the moment of the grand disillusionment for Vera when the minuscule remnants left from the indoctrinated Communist dream were completely obliterated.  I did not name the store at that time, and now it’s time for the big reveal.  This occurred in 1989 at the St. Louis Park Byerly’s.  Below I quote myself.

“In the middle of the largest and most fashionable supermarket of the Upper Midwest,Vera bitterly realized the deprivation of the Soviet people.  I assured her that this was not a typical grocery but a high-end food emporium.  Under the huge chandeliers in the carpeted aisles, Vera cried as she surveyed the many brands of every food imaginable.  Fresh fruit and vegetables of every kind.  Prices were not so high. I explained that these same fruits were available in the winter as well, though prices were a bit higher.  Strawberries in the winter!  Unthinkable!  The displays were beautiful.  There were no lines. She understood at that moment what she had always suspected, that she lived in an underdeveloped country in terms of the manufacture and distribution of basic consumer items.”  (p. 186)

That visit was followed by a tour of Target (also a Minneapolis-based business) which brought more tears and chest beating. 

Minnesota is a good place to live thanks to Byerly’s (now Lunds & Byerly’s) and Target.  But the best place to live is a place of finding humor and humanity in the present moment and letting the adventures of daily life unfold.

*I just called Byerly’s and found out the Bin 119 customer did call, but was told to keep the food because it was all perishable.  I wonder if the customer was upset about the water. 

**Harry wants more credit for this blog, so here it is although I wrote every word.

Tags:
Bylerlys Shopping in Minnesota Minnesota Nice Groceries and Communism
Author of the Month for June and July 2016: Nancy...
Leslie and Meryll Buy a New Car But Who's Driving ...

About the author

Leslie

Leslie

  http://morejewishluck.com
View author's profile More posts from author

Leslie Levine Adler, PhD visited Russia in the summer of 1976 as part of her undergraduate Russian Studies program. She returned in 1977 to pursue her friendships from the previous summer. After teaching ESL at university, she became a psychologist.

Author's recent posts
Sunday, 07 February 2021 American Kompromat
Sunday, 31 January 2021 Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
Sunday, 28 June 2020 Earthquake
Sunday, 07 April 2019 Mirror, Mirror
Saturday, 26 May 2018 The Regina Monologue or Feh! on Calling Me A Black Widow
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Sunday, 05 February 2023

Captcha Image

Recent Blogs

Meryll
Meryll
09 April 2021
Jewish on the Down Low
I snapped up the invitation to speak at a zoom meeting for the Jewish Affinity Group from Columbus School for Girls. Self-quarantining for almost a year has made me hungry to talk about Jewish Luck. It's certainly clear from the news that Vera and Alla's perceptions about the "New" Russia are just as relevant now as they were when Vera first encountered Putin in Leningrad.More than the intellectua...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
07 February 2021
American Kompromat
What I learned from American Kompromat by Craig Unger (2021) Dutton: NYC has prompted me to write a blog. Trigger Warning: This book contains potentially distressing content that could trigger trauma that we have experienced regarding the previous US President. I whisper this mantra to myself: "We're safe now. He's gone. We're safe now." The purpose of this exercise is to reduce my blood pre...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
31 January 2021
Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
"Faster than a speeding bullet." .Organized anti-government rallies in 109 cities across Russia from jail for January 23 and January 30, 2021. Watch each weekend. "More powerful than a locomotive."  Able to make a miraculous recovery from Novichok poisoning on Aug. 20, 2020 after remaining in a coma for nearly a month. His is the only known case of survival of that strain of Novichok. "...
Read More

Invite Us To Speak

invite

We were featured speakers at Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Levy Summer Series. Our speaking engagements include JCCs, synagogues, libraries, book groups, retirement communities, schools, and organizations (e.g. ORT, Hadassah, and Women's League). References are available. 

Invite Us To Speak
 

Talk Review

"I was very fortunate to be able to hear Meryll and Leslie speak at a Hadassah event in Israel. Each of the ~50 participants really enjoyed the event because Meryll and Leslie were so engaging. While they had a natural rapport with the audience, you could also tell they had prepared well so they could connect with our particular group's interests. I learned a lot from listening to them, and I found their sisterly interaction unique and fun. If you want an enlightening and uplifting experience, attend one of their book talks."
Lisa Shimoni, Modiin Israel

Book Review

"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates.  It is fascinating and very well told.  As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook.  That's a big deal, women!  You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book.  I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
Margaret Leibfried, Danielson Group consultant

Buy the Book

Online:

Click here to order your copy of Jewish Luck: A True Story of Friendship, Deception, and Risky Business on Amazon.com.

The Kindle version is available here

In Stores:
cgb250
logo-sholom
Make a donation to Sholom Home and enjoy Jewish Luck at the same time. Jewish Luck is now available at the Sholom Home West gift store. Meryll and Leslie will donate 50% of the proceeds back to Sholom Home. Enjoy!

Tasting Torah

Nourish mind, body, and soul with Meryll's Tasting Torah, which will bring oneg (joy) and limmud (learning) to your Shabbat, broaden your culinary horizons, and draw your Shabbat guests closer together.

logo tasting torah

Highlighted Books

Meryll
Meryll
02 July 2017
July Book of the Month:  Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
July Book of the Month: Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
Leslie and I began writing Jewish Luck with an underlying question in our minds—what would life have...
Read More

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved by More Jewish Luck

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Login

Site created by LiveSites