A New Easter Tradition?

My best friend, Susan, and I will use any excuse to concoct an adventure. Easter was approaching, and we found ourselves bemoaning the loss of several candy stores in the Heights area. These stores had been great places to shop for unusual treats to fill the kids baskets. Next to the traditional jelly beans and bunnies, one could find wax lips, black-jack gum, and the ever-so-politically-incorrect candy cigarettes and bubblegum cigars. Oh dear! We were going to have to venture out of the neighborhood to find new sources of sugary entertainment.
Hmmm...Perhaps not.
Didn't that Asian grocer on the corner of Mayfield and Belvoir have an assortment of candy from the orient at the check-out counter? How about the new Mexican grocery on Mayfield past Brainard? Isn't there a Russian deli around there? There's the Italian grocery, and then the plaza with the little store that has signs in the window reading "FRESH VAGETABLES" and "Desi food and Movies sold Here". Although we were quite familiar with Italian goodies, "Desi food" left us clueless, and eager for an afternoon of exotic exploration. We found all of these little stores along a two-mile strip of Mayfield Road between South Euclid, and Mayfield Heights.

We spent the remainder of the day gathering up Japanese Poky, Mexican chili pepper candy, Russian chocolate with vodka centers, tamarind candy from India, Turkish Delight with walnuts, and Italian Easter biscotti.
We bought things in beautiful wrappers, with labels written in alphabets that we couldn't decipher. Thank goodness none of our children have allergies. Most of the clerks in the shops didn't speak English, so we didn't bother asking what is was we were buying.
By late afternoon our bags had more than just the intended Easter treats. We viewed so many foreign "delicacies" with feet, lips, suction cups, and eyeballs, Susan and I decided to purchase a little snack for our 13 year old sons. One that would elicit some "Fear Factor" bravado, and leave the indelible impression in those young minds that their mothers were indeed "Whacked". Dried whole shrimp (eyeballs intact) from Mexico, with hot sauce, fit the bill.

Needless to say, this Easter morning was memorable.