Super Bowl Countdown: Five Days Left

Don't they have Mahatma in Philly?

Let me explain. The local news is now starting to hype up the celebrities that are popping up around town, though some are less than impressive. Tom Arnold may cohost a popular sports talk show, but his appearance will always be underwhelming since he looks very much like the moron that lives down the street.

But there are important people that aren't celebrities, business people, expected to be walking our streets. I'm sure that the city administrators are hoping that these important people come down here and see the city as a great place to set up shop. We've begun attracting some big businesses in the past five years, and the Super Bowl should only help matters.

Last night, I stopped by Publix for groceries at around 9pm. As I pushed my cart through the back corridor and looked down the aisles one by one, I passed the one with the pastas and such. Near the front of the aisle, a half dozen middle aged men, all dressed nicely in grey suits, stood clustered in the middle of the aisle staring at a shelving area and talking with great interest to eachother.

Now, It's odd enough to see one guy dressed in a suit in Publix, much less six. So, given all the Super Bowl hype right now, I imagined them to be visitors. Fair enough, but what were they looking at and why was it so interesting? I circled around and caught a glimpse of them as they left, almost single file, out the front door. I made my way to the spot they were standing and looked at the spot they were looking at.

It was rice and beans.

And I'm not talking about special Super Bowl limited edition rice and beans, either. They weren't even on sale, for crying out loud. Just long grain, short grain, black eyed, red. Maybe they were planning on a Mardi Gras-themed Super Bowl party. Maybe they were executives for Zatarain's. Hell, I don't know. But it did make me think twice about all the anal-retentive attention to detail the locals have been exhibiting. I know now not to jump to criticize these people. Rather, to them I say good job, and keep up the good work.

And for pete's sake, keep your dry goods orderly.