The Benefits Of Actually Talking to a Human Being

After I complained about how hard it was preparing meals without garlic because all of the jarred and premade pasta sauces, salad dressings, salsas, spice mixes contain garlic or garlic powder, our dietician suggested trying Fody. It is a brand that is for people trying a low FODMAP diet that can help with IBS. It is not at all related to food allergies, but people eating low FODMAP foods happen to avoid garlic so it had the potential to be helpful for preparing food for my kid. I searched the Fody website and found out that they have some products in the Whole Foods right by our house.

Off I went, with high hopes of finding a garlic free pasta sauce. I arrived at the pasta sauce aisle and quickly scanned the shelves. I couldn’t find anything by Fody. So I pulled out my phone and looked for a picture of the Fody label on the website. It’s a pretty easily spotable purply-blue. Now could I have asked for help at this point? Sure. But here’s a list of things I’d rather do than ask for help at the store:

• Continue to waste time looking by myself.
• Look online and see if there are any clues about another aisle it might be on.
• Leave the store without getting what I came for.
• Poke myself in the eyeball. (Not hard. I'm not a crazy person. I just really don't want to have to ask for help, you know?)

I mean, I’m definitely an introvert so why deal with other people when I don’t have to? Plus, being a millennial, we’ve almost completely lost the ability to talk to people in person or on the phone. You have to track somebody down. You have to wait. I just want to find my stuff and go!

Anyways, I must have looked like I needed help because not 1 but 2 helpful Whole Foods clerks asked if I needed help finding something. Despite my best efforts, I did actually need help, so I told them I was looking for Fody pasta sauce. I knew they had some Fody products at the store, but I wasn’t sure which ones- they make ketchup, pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, salsa.. all things which could potentially leave me with less work preparing meals. They had only ever seen the ketchup at that store, but asked further what exactly dietary restrictions I was dealing with. Once they knew I just needed to eliminate garlic, they suggested a different brand of pasta sauce and salsa.

She loves to tell a joke, but won't take it when it's about her... she's a sensitive marinara.

I mean. I never would have known these existed had I not talked to them. I had completely given up hope that pasta sauce could be premade without garlic! Is it good? Who cares! I've got it in my pantry for whenever I need an easy, safe meal.