Andy wrote:
> Have a dinner plan tonite for stuffed jumbo shells and decided on a side
> of fried zucchini.
>
> I never touched zucchini except at a block party a few years ago that
> married whole hog's pulled pork to fried zucchini with provalone on a
> bun with juice. Awesome stuff.
>
> Today at the produce market I decided I'd shop zucchini.
>
> So I go in and don't know zucchini from eggplant from peppers from
> whatever.
>
> Two nice ladies are picking through the produce next to me. So, not
> being the proud moron afraid to ask for directions without a map, I ask
> them, "This is squash? I need zucchini. Is this the same thing?"
>
> They nod yes, then one asks, "What are you making?" I said I wanted to
> make fried zucchini.
>
> The plot thickens. One of them asks me how I'm going to prepare the
> fried zucchini. I blurted out "cornmeal then fried."
>
> Momma (from here on out) told me to use the green squash, but then more
> agony as she asks "How do you slice it?"
>
> Grief, in the form of red blood running from my cheeks, I said, "in
> coins"??
>
> She grabs the zucchini out of my hand and tells me to slice it in
> lengths, not coins. And now we're becoming chums, there at the squash
> bin.
>
> She further tells me to take the slices and salt them and let them rest
> in a collander for 30 minutes. Then "take the slices and dip them in AP
> flour, then into egg, then into hot oil."
>
> She said that's the Italian way to do it.
>
> We met up at the checkout. We talked about the procedure again, and what
> was I cooking. I said I was making stuffed jumbo shells with 3-cheeses.
>
> They both asked "when is dinner ready?"
>
> I said "Well I was planning on 4pm, but whenever you're ready!"
>
> If you've never seen two sweet Italian women blush...
>
> For a brief moment in time, we were related!!!
>
> Too nice.
>
> Andy

Nice story. Too bad your new friends didn't really come for dinner
and for another zucchini lesson. )