One  peculiar hobby of mine is grocery shopping.   I have to do it almost every day for work and then my many sporadic trips to the market to pick up odds and ends that I have left behind for personal use makes visiting the grocery store a 5 day per week experience.  In knowing this task is constantly looming over me, I decided to make a game of my adventures; I call them "Shopping with Norman".  

Whether in the dairy case, at the meat counter, in the produce section, or fogging up a bay of freezer glass, I am constantly amazed at peoples food selections.  It may seem a little nosy and weird perhaps, but it is just a fascinating subject matter. 

And since I possess somewhat of an anti-diet to many of the shoppers, I constantly get curious looks in my direction as well. 

 I know it is not common for people to see a young man with 2 pounds of plantains, a large bag of frozen strawberries, 6 eggs, and 12 pack of seltzer water, but I happened to be out them this week. 

On a recent trip to our local grocery store,  I needed to pick up about 1/4 pound of thinly sliced prosciutto for a recipe I was testing.  I waited in line at the deli, placed my order, and took a half step to the left to free some space for a man standing behind me.  

He smoothly shuffled his feet, took two steps forward, and said a phrase I will never forget:  "May I please have 1/2 pound of thinly sliced head cheese?"  As soon as the words cleared his tongue, I began searching the glass case for the ambiguous loaf of meat scraps and gelatin.  Smiling to myself in a curious yet slightly frightened manner, I wondered, what on earth could a person want with 1/2 pound of thinly sliced head cheese? 

After I was unable to comprehend such an act, I turned to the man and politely asked: "What are you going to do with 1/2 pound of thinly sliced head cheese?"  The man and the woman behind the counter began to chuckle and then proceed to tell me all of the wonderful things one could do with 1/2 pound of thinly sliced head cheese and even offered up a couple slices for me to try.  

Not wanting to miss this uniquely Southern experience, I tried the odd looking slices and was pleasantly surprised.  The gentleman suggested trying it on toast with a dab of yellow mustard, his favorite way.  We shared a laugh about our peculiar meeting, the man tipped his hat and we parted ways.  Afterward I continued to meander the isles finishing up my shopping all the while pondering: "What do my neighbors eat?"