Kindred Spirit

     I met a kindred spirit at Whole Foods.  Have  you ever met someone and instantly liked them over something as mundane as a baked good?  Well, it happened to me yesterday.
     I was buying groceries (as you do) and decided to get a cannoli.  Bad me!  I am starting my crazy diet again for health reasons, and thought I should commemorate the end of yummy, bad things for a while.  It was necessary.  Anyway, there was an older man in line behind me.  "What?  They have cannolis here?  I haven't had one of those since I left Sicily!"  (I assume he lived there when he was younger.)  "Yeah", I said, "I had to get it.  Although, I'm sure it won't be as good as the ones you remember."  The man shook his head and replied, "Actually, they're probably better.  Anytime Sicilians immigrate to America, they improve whatever traditional food they have!  They add more cream and chocolate and things.  I'm going to get one.  Where are they?"  He asked if I would watch his groceries while he ran off to get a new-and-improved Whole Foods cannoli.  While he was gone, I noticed that his shopping cart was full of different kinds of olives from the olive bar, and some bottles of wine.  I like this guy!   (In a strictly platonic way, of course.)
     Later, I was thinking about his comment about Sicilians making things better after they immigrate.  I suppose this is true of any nationality.  I know it's true with Greek salads.  My half-Greek husband raved about the first gyro salad he had in this country.  "There would never be nearly as much meat and cheese on a salad in Greece!"  Also, my Aunt was disappointed in the pizza when she traveled to Italy, saying that we have better pizza here.  I guess there's some truth to this.  That's what we do.  We take what's there and make it bigger and better, with more cheese and bacon!  (More on this later, because there are SO many tasty delights that are better in the country of origin, and I do not want you to think I am a xenophobe.)