A World Without Pie Crust

Our Thursday social schedule is always highlighted with a visit to the supermarket. It's not a general supermarket, where they have something other than the store brands on a usual basis. If you want Alfredo sauce, you have to go somewhere else. It has one type of whatever it has, take it of leave it. (Fancy stuff is usually being remaindered, so grab it when you see it.)

I've been going there since the day the place opened, and know a lot of the people who have worked there by sight, if not by name. Some I know by name.

We needed pie crust. Now, until about six months ago -- at the peak of pie-baking time -- they ran out of the crusts already in the little pans. Which was no big problem -- we had enough pans to use under potted plants and so on to last a long time. So we started using the refrigerated dough that is in round shapes and folded in quarters -- all you have to do it bring them to room temp, unfold and patch the little hole in the center. We even went to the Dollar Store (see our Friday social schedule) and bought some neat glass pie pans, which even our daughter admired. (Note, we haven't seen them in the Dollar Store since.)

But today, much to our chagrin, there was no - nada - nil pie crust at the less-than-supermarket. No frozen crust in little pans, no refrigerated pie crust to unfold and patch. We upbraided the keeper of the frozen food department, one Tony, who has been known to get us things we need from the back room somewhere. "It's not available," he told us. "That's what the computer says."

"It's not a seasonal item," I said. He just threw his hands up and shrugged.

The world is without pie crust. We do, however, have a new box of Earl Grey tea, from the remainder shelves.