Those of you who've been following this blog for a while might dimly remember a post back in early 2008 wherein I recounted an arduous tale about scouring lower Manhattan for a properly-sized can of Sterno to facilitate an evening of fondue. Two years later, Peggy and I are planning on a small Valentine's Day get-together with some of our friends and Peg thought we should get out the fondue pot again. As such, I was tasked this morning with tracking down another elusive can of Sterno. I'm sure you're thinking to yourselves, 'what's the big deal?' Well, as it happens, the fondue set we own only accommodates a certain size of can ... and one that is evidently not readily available. I returned to all the places I searched last time -- Gristede's, D'Agostino's, Broadway Panhandler on 8th Street, K-Mart, Whole Foods, Garden of Eden, Trader Joe's, a few specialty cheese shops and a few other likely spots, but I kept striking out. Dejectedly, I called Peg from the street to tell her we may have to start coming up with a back-up plan.
Then, as I was walking west on 8th Street, I passed by a tiny, local independent hardware store. I fleetingly thought they might have what I was looking for, but then talked myself out of it. At the corner of Greene street, though, I had second thoughts. What did I have to lose? I walked back to the hardware store and went inside.
This cramped, smelly little place has been on East 8th seemingly since the dawn of time. I keep expecting it to vanish. I've only been in there a few times, usually to have a duplicate key made or to buy some WD-40 or something. I spun my culinary sob story to the gent beyond the counter, and without blinking he walked around me and pulled a few canisters of the exact stuff I was looking for in the exact size I needed!. And they were only a buck fifty a piece! I bought four on the spot and thanked the store-owner profusely.
I'm not sure there's a moral to this story or anything, but next time you're looking for an elusive item, maybe you should forego newfangled chain store and go right for the Mom n' Pop. They might just have what you're looking for. And it'll probably be cheaper.
And, as detailed in that earlier post, I still can't help thinking about the below song every time fondue is invoked.
Now I gotta go buy the damn cheese.
Crank it up!
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