Shopping day is not my favorite day of the week, but Costco isn't such a bad stop because they have samples on the weekends. All kinds of samples too; tamales, roasted pork, chicken nuggets, shredded beef, ravioli, pie, berries, ice cream, cheesecake and the list goes on, so I usually head to Costco around lunch.
The downside: Everyone else has the same idea, and with hundreds of people behind oversize carts, getting to those samples can be challenging. First you locate the food carts, (it's where the highest concentration of people are) and then begins the not-so-small feat of maneuvering your way over there.
Everyone has that same pained smile on their face like, "I'm trying my darnest to be polite, but all these incompetent cart drivers are driving me crazy", and you dodge, crash, smile, and apologize until you've gotten a little closer. You see there are two samples left on the tray, and 3 other people making a beeline to the food cart so you figure you'd better step up the pace.
That's when out of nowhere, a giant woman, or tiny Asian man cuts in front of you, nearly sending you flying, and scoops up that mouthful of shrimp scampi you had designs on. After you've recovered from the disappointment the question comes; should I be on my way? Or should I wait till the next batch comes out? There's something embarrassing about waiting around for a mouthful of food while people are forced to maneuver around your stopped giant cart, but you've come so far already and the anticipation and smell of deliciousness make you choose the latter.
So you pretend you're simply shopping and browse the shelves around the food cart, reading and re-reading labels, checking cans for dents, sniffing for freshness, all the while keeping a close eye on the food cart and the competition surrounding you who are all doing exactly the same thing. After many long minutes of anguished anticipation, the attendant puts out the tray. While trying to appear as nonchalant as possible ("wow, what do you know? There's a sample tray next to me"), amid a flurry of hands, you deftly and swiftly snag the best looking piece of shrimp and scurry away from the crowd to enjoy it. Bliss!
Then there's always the people who decide to purchase what they sampled and with a smug smile place a package in their giant cart. You know they're thinking "I'm just a little better than the rest of you sample fiends because people like me are the reason samples are served. You are all welcome." But you don't let that bother you because after all, spending $25 a pound on All Natural French Carved Leg of Lamb is just downright indulgent.
All the calories you burn getting to that mouthful of food cancel out the calories you consume, but yes, sometimes you wonder if it's worth all the trouble and strategizing. But then you see the samples of bleu cheese crusted Angus steak and you're ready to face the next horde of giant cart-wielding-sample-addicts because you're a seasoned Costco hunter and lunch isn't over yet.
