5 cent, 10 cent, banana!
some folks have regular morning commuting routines revolving around getting the paper, or grabbing a cuppa or even just turning down the same exact corners every day. i’m usually not one of those folks - i purposefully try and make each two-minute morning walk to the train different each day. but about three weeks ago, when it started to really be ‘nice and bright’ in the mornings, i decided to start a morning food routine around my favorite fruit: bananas. i guess it’s a small way for me to start feeling like a part of my new neighborhood. the good thing about having banana’s as my favorite fruit is the proliferation of bodega’s in my hood. there are maybe 15 bodegas within 5 minutes of my apartment - sweet! and they all have bananas and malta (another favorite, though less healthy snack). i’ve got three options for buying my morning banana on my two usual routes. there’s the white bodega on my block which sells them for 40 cents. the red bodega happens to be the midpoint of my morning walk and they’ve got the cheapest (but usually grungiest) bananas for 35 cents. the blue bodega is technically right across from the train station, but i hardly ever go in. it’s go the potential to be my favorite - the banana’s are usually fresher and they’ve got a resident cat in the shop and the bananas there are 30 cents… but it’s under an construction awning and i just never think to make the turn down that side of the street. i usually run into the red bodega, slide my quarter and dime across the counter while snatching a banana. the process takes about 15 seconds and i always mumble a ‘buenos dias. gracias’ to the counter guy who mutters a ‘de nada’ back at me. we never make eye contact b/c he’s usually watching the morning news in spanish. somehow i manage to finish the entire banana before i start walking down the subway steps - it’s a good feeling to have recently finished my favorite fruit as i settle in for a nap on the train on my way to work every morning.