A Completely Different Quest

Call me paranoid, but Chuck and I are the kiss of death. It seems that whenever we find a product we really like and we come to rely on said product, the manufacturer either discontinues it or often (and worse still) improves it. Or the product continues to be made in the same old wonderful way, but it suddenly becomes as scarce as hen’s teeth to find it in a local store. This seems to happen so often, that we sometimes get a niggling fear as soon as we come to use something on a regular basis. Mind you, we really do like to try new things, but we hate to have our old faithfuls disappear.

Most recent case in point: Cento Caponata. Let me head you off. I know I can make my own caponata. I have. It’s very good. And I know we need to eat increasingly locally. But I love the convenience of the little yellow 7.5 ounce can of Cento. Their caponata is chunky and very consistent batch to batch. And did I mention it sits quietly on my pantry shelf, just waiting to be incorporated into an omelette, a pasta sauce or (my favorite) as a tasty side dish for grilled chicken?

One day we put Cento Caponata on the grocery list and it was no longer available in any of our grocery stores. At first, the location on the shelf was empty just above the appropriate shelf tag. Next trip, the shelf tags were gone. We immediately went into red alert mode. Futile trips to countless customer service desks ensued. Then we turned to the internet. Happy days! Cento is still making Caponata and we can order it if need be. Breathing easier, but still hunting. Yesterday, we went into a Shaw’s supermarket and reflexively looked for the little yellow can. Eureka! Now there are six perfect cans sitting in our pantry. Big, happy sigh of relief...