I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

Yesterday when food shopping I went to New World on the other side of town because I wanted to buy a couple of bottles of Taittinger Champagne as it was on special ($20 a bottle off).
The place was crowded - with old people.

I felt right at home but it really pisses me off that old people can't drive or park their supermarket trolleys very well. They leave them in the middle of the aisles, parked at all angles and it's hard to get past the silly old duffers. I don't know how they manage to drive their cars to the shops and park them .... oh. that's right I do ....THE SAME BLOODY WAY!

Anyway, I discovered to my delight that Tuesday was Gold Card day at this supermarket and if you are a gold card holder you get 5% off your groceries (not the wine unfortunately).  Still, every saving helps when you're retired.

In the vegetable and fruit section, when I got to the bananas I could smell them quite strongly. A lot looked a bit manky and it appeared that they'd been pulled out of the warehouse where they'd been sitting for ages under a cloud of preservative gases. On 'release' they quickly deteriorate.

I chose three that looked a bit greener than the others, dithered a bit and was about to put them back when I spied an old woman with her eyes on my bananas (you don't often get to say that). I kept them.

Big mistake.

This morning when having my muesli and blueberries I selected one of the bananas. It was buggered. Into the compost bin it went.
I selected another. This also showed extensive browning but I sliced some of the better bits into my cereal. The third one I left and I'll use this in a tuna and banana toasted sandwich tomorrow if it hasn't entirely rotted away.

I shouldn't have bought these bananas. I knew something was wrong by the smell surrounding the display.
I'd take them back and complain if it wasn't so far to drive.
A tip: Always keep your supermarket receipts as there is invariably a product not up to standard. It's worth making a complaint and getting your money back. Foodstuffs (New World, Pak n Save, Four Square) seem to have a policy of asking if you want a receipt or not. A lot of people think that this is a way of saving paper. I think it's a way of making it difficult to make a claim if something isn't right.

I've learned via Youtube some tricks for keeping vegetables at home but have yet discovered how best to keep bananas (assuming you are sensible and buy ones in good condition at the start).

• Carrots. Clean them and cut off the ends. Put them in a container of water and keep in fridge. They will last for weeks this way.
• Spring onion. Stand in a glass of water and keep in fridge.
• Asparagus, leek, broccoli etc. - ditto
• Salad leaves. Take a large container and line the bottom with a paper towel. Layer half or a third of the leaves (spinach, rocket, salad mix) and cover with a paper towel. Repeat and cover with towel. Put lid on container. Store in fridge. These will be good for a week.

Take it easy out there.