WALK, RUN, THEN EAT

JoAnn, Elisson, and SWMBO get ready
to run... or, at least, to walk real fast.

Atypically for a Saturday morning, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I were up at the Butt-Crack of Dawn™ to participate in the Make-a-Wish 5K Walk and Run held in downtown Marietta.

Normally, we sleep in on Saturdays. That is, we get up at 7:30 instead of our weekday 5:45, have breakfast, and then get dressed for synagogue. But this was, as they say, a Good Cause, so I didn’t feel too bad about ditching shul.

Being a certified Lazy Ass, I tend to walk a hell of a lot more than I run at these events, but I surprised myself by actually sprinting through several sections of the course. Not jogging, either, but actually running. Amazingly, I wasn’t especially winded. Was I beginning to get a taste of Runner’s Euphoria from alla them endorphins that supposedly kick in? Who knows?

Afterwards, we headed off to grab a cup of coffee with our fellow team members at the Evil Mermaid, a prelude to an eggy breakfast at the local IHOP. But before we left the town square, we browsed some of the vegetable sellers’ stalls set up at the perimeter of the town square. I snagged a bunch of locally grown free-range beets, and then saw SWMBO checking out some fresh salsa at another vendor’s table.

We had had this fellow’s products before, this Salsa Artisan. For a brief period earlier this year, the open-air shopping area adjacent to our subdivision had made a half-hearted attempt at hosting a farmer’s market, where the Missus had discovered a guy selling his hand-made salsa, bruschetta mix, and chutney. Today, when I essayed a taste of the salsa, I was almost knocked over by the crisp, fresh flavors of ripe tomato, onion, lime, cilantro, and jalapeño. This was the Real Thing. The Shiznit. The Holy Grail.

The vendor is a local fellow, operating under the name Made by Hand Products. He sells his wares here in Marietta, as well as making regular runs up to Chattanooga. I can tell you that if there were any justice in this world (and a reliable distribution system for refrigerated goods), you’d be able to get his products everywhere. But perhaps that’s the real charm: It’s made by hand from extremely fresh, locally produced ingredients... the kind of product that just does not travel well.



Following SWMBO’s lead, I fixed myself a snack this afternoon by slicing up an avocado and slathering it with that fine salsa. A few chunks of cheese for protein (and a sliced-up jalapeño for extra heat), and I had a mini-meal to reckon with.

When was the last time you had salsa made from really fresh, ripe red tomatoes? For that matter, when was the last time you had a really fresh, ripe red tomato?