Yesterday I bought some mangoes at an Indian grocer because I knew that even if I didn’t find Alphonsos, that’s a place where they’d be likely to have good ones because they would definitely know what one should be. Which they did, although from Mexico and very fibrous. But the flavor made it worth the trip.

I felt conspicuously white and clueless looking curiously at a few labels of things that I had no idea what they were, but a little exploration is good for everyone. Foreign travel without the airfare, and you can always ask questions. Banana flowers? Think the size of a large butternut squash in the shape of a giant half-opened banana with peel pieces attached, all in a purplish brown. What on earth would you do with it? I only saw the one, so I left it so it could be appreciated by someone who wanted it.

Thinking of the waitress who once quickly slapped a banana leaf-wrapped sandwich-type entree out of my hand, exclaiming, No eat!

Oh. The leaf?

Yes! No eat!

I was glad she let me know!

No nonfat milk there.

So today, a quick trip to Trader Joe’s so we could have our hot cocoa in the morning.

An Asian woman who looked vaguely familiar, and apparently I did to her (quick, which parent from Back to School Nights twenty years ago was she? No idea) decided I was a friendly face and asked me a question.

Between her accent, my deafness, and the complete unexpectedness of it it took her three tries before I got that what she was asking was, “What is a good wine and do they have it here? Where would I find it?”

“I don’t drink,” I half-apologized to her. “I have no idea.”

She laughed (and then I did, too): “I don’t either!”

And with that, whoever she was, we smiled and went our ways, having each found someone a little bit more like ourselves than we knew.