Check out these pea shoots (da dou miao). Disgusting, right? A few years ago 99 Ranch started insidiously packaging most fresh green vegetables in large plastic bags. Not only are customers not allowed to buy the quantities they want, they can't even see if there's a big ball of moldy greens in the center of the bag. I bought these pea shoots on Friday. They should not look like this on Sunday.
After half an hour of assiduous washing and picking, I had to throw away about half the bag and was left with a sad looking, slightly yellow bag of greens. 99 Ranch has high prices to begin with. Plus it takes twenty minutes to drive there. I really don't want to have to waste 10 gallons of water and half an hour washing their produce only to have to toss out most of it.This is why I would shop at farmers' markets--in SF they are much cheaper than 99 Ranch, but I'd go even if they weren't. At least I can buy the quantity I want and have a guarantee that nothing will rot in two days. This isn't the first time 99 Ranch has screwed me over. I've bought bland fruit, moldy produce, rotten chicken, and sour pork there over the years. Sometimes I can return stuff, but often it's just too far to be worth my while. So now, I grudgingly go for live seafood and nonperishables like rice and sauces, but I'm really not interested in their produce and increasingly distrustful of their meat as well.
3 comments:
That's bad. We were at 99 ranch too today...
if clauses—the traditional rules. According to traditional rules, you use the subjunctive to describe an occurrence that you have presupposed to be contrary to fact: if I were ten years younger, if America were still a British Colony. The verb in the main clause of these sentences must then contain the verb would or (less frequently) should: If I were ten years younger, I would consider entering the marathon. If America were still a British colony, we would all be drinking tea in the afternoon. When the situation described by the if clause is not presupposed to be false, however, that clause must contain an indicative verb. The form of verb in the main clause will depend on your intended meaning: If Hamlet was really written by Marlowe, as many have argued, then we have underestimated Marlowe’s genius. If Kevin was out all day, then it makes sense that he couldn’t answer the phone. 7 Remember, just because the modal verb would appears in the main clause, this doesn’t mean that the verb in the if clause must be in the subjunctive if the content of that clause is not presupposed to be false: If I was (not were) to accept their offer—which I’m still considering—I would have to start the new job on May 2. He would always call her from the office if he was (not were) going to be late for dinner. 8 Another traditional rule states that you are not supposed to use the subjunctive following verbs such as ask or wonder in if clauses that express indirect questions, even if the content of the question is presumed to be contrary to fact: We wondered if dinner was (not were) included in the room price. Some of the people we met even asked us if California was (not were) an island. 9if clauses—the reality. In practice, of course, many people ignore the rules. In fact, over the last 200 years even well-respected writers have tended to use the indicative was where the traditional rule would require the subjunctive were. A usage such as If I was the only boy in the world may break the rules, but it sounds perfectly natural. 10subjunctive after wish. Yet another traditional rule requires you to use were rather than was in a contrary-to-fact statement that follows the verb wish: I wish I were (not was) lighter on my feet. Many writers continue to insist on this rule, but the indicative was in such clauses can be found in the works of many well-known writers. -J
Your long-winded grammar lesson proves that I'm right. Thank you. :)
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