September 3, 2020--Couscous

Since late June we haven't been able to find any boxes of Near East couscous at our local food markets. It's one of our staples and we've been feeling frustrated. 

The absence of couscous has been a mystery. Couscous? We're in Maine, not Manhattan. It's hard to conjure that many Mainers craving this exotic grain. Frankly we've been surprised and delighted that it in the past has been so available. 

So, what's the story? In a pandemic running out of toilet paper I get, but couscous?

I finally figured it out thanks to our president. Yes, him. 

You ask what does he know from couscous? Fair question. He's more a Big Mac kind of guy. Not some effete sophisticate.

But lately he's been talking about supermarket items.

Here's what he said at a press gaggle on Tuesday about the rioting in Kenosha:

In cities across the nation, we've also seen police officers assaulted with bricks, rocks, bats, Molotov cocktails, frozen bottle of water. 

Somebody said last night, one of the protesters--I saw it--he said, "It's only water. How can water hurt you?" Yeah, they don't say it's frozen, in a bottle the size of a football. And they throw it at the police. It's unbelievable. It's water." 

And then they have cans of soup. Soup. And they throw the cans of soup. That's better than a brick because you can't throw a brick; it's too heavy. But a can of soup. You can really put some power into that, Right?

So that's what's been going on. Trump weaponized soup and couscous and the shelves are picked clean.

Also, at some point he referred to Campbell soup. Tomato soup. The kind, he said, Andy Warhol painted.

Trump? Andy Warhol? I've got to get a grip.