Food, Travel

Sardines and Only Sardines

71 Comments

Our last day of the cruise was really just a quick ride from the Port of Lisbon to the airport. No statues, no scenic tour, no talkative guide with plenty to say on the current political climate in Europe (or America).  The Lisbon airport is quite large and getting through the duty-free shop before getting to the gates is like a trip through a perfume-drenched Ikea.

Just after escaping the duty free, as we walked down the hallway, hoping to find our gate, we saw the brightest, most colorful shop ever – it looked like a carnival inside – with rows and rows of colorful tins. After a bit we realized it was shop full of sardines – just sardines.

Apparently Portugal is known for its sardines and from what we could tell from the shop, aged sardines are a real treat. The tins are marked with years on them, although I find it hard to believe that there were 50-year-old sardines in the tins marked 1967.  The shop was busy so we couldn’t get anyone to confirm if they were really that old or if it was just a marketing gimmick.  Both of us are vegetarians so even though it initially seemed like a fun thing to buy at an airport, we both passed.  But even a week later, I’m still amazed at how one product can keep a store open, especially such a big store!

If your store had just one product, what would it be?

71 thoughts on “Sardines and Only Sardines”

  1. Reminds me of the SNL skit about the Scotch tape store.

    If I had a store selling a food prodct, probably cheese. If it was a non-food product, maybe socks. I like socks.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. Rise and Shine Baboons!

    Well, my store would not sell sardines–they would never even occur to me as a product to sell.

    Probably pie. We had strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert at Saturday supper. It tastes like Memorial Day/Spring-almost-summertime. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Jacque’s post reminds me of Betty’s Pies, located next to the beautiful Stewart River near Two Harbors. The place has been dear to the hearts of North Shore travelers for decades. The uncomfortable truth has been that the pies at Betty’s were remarkably mediocre, or that was the reputation of the place with local residents. Maybe Clyde can correct me on this. I’ve heard that new management has taken over and that the pies no longer disappoint.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Lived 1/2 mile from it. But now it is a big restaurant. Betty owned it. Pies were good some said. Yes locals were not all fond of the pies, like me but I don’t like pie much. She sold it. Pies were bad. She took it back. Sold It. Now big restaurant. Food is supposed to be good. Pies are more about reputation friends say. I much preferred Rustic Inn.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

      2. YA and I stopped at Betty’s on a vacation several years ago. I would have to agree – a fun atmosphere but just regular ole pie!

        Like

        Reply

      2. i love rhubarb,
        i hope i got that and peonies when we moved. my sister has a yard full on my contributions ready for transplanting in the future

        Like

        Reply

  4. I love sardines and kippers. Was at Einstein Bagels Sunday. I have been avoiding having lox and cream cheese bagel. Sunday Sandy distracted me when I was ordering. Meant to order smoked salmon cream cheese but said lox. Damn it. Now will always want it there. High priced item. Gooooood. Freudian slip anyone.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. What? Sardines have a pull tab now instead of a key? How disappointing. All the touchstones are crumbling away.
    I was going to guess that the dates on the cans were so you could get some with your birth year, but then I notice in the header that one can is dated 2013 and it doesn’t seem like a great gift for a four-year-old. But you never know.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

        5. Well, I’m sure that Cracker Jacks will have terrific toys soon, but I am a little bummed that, because Hillary lost, there is not a taco truck on every corner. I would love to have a taco truck on my corner. But not for me to sell tacos, I just want to buy them.

          Like

    3. I distinctly remember when Spam cans had keys; that’s probably why I helped in the kitchen; so I could open the can of spam.

      Were there other canned goods with a key? We didn’t eat sardines… perhaps lots of foods did but spam was the only one I had contact with.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I think maybe a toast store. A couple dozen toasters and a loaf of bread. Of course, the tricky part would be finding a location near a butter and jam store.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    3. You could team up with some of us baboons who don’t know what kind of store they should have. I’d be interested in the jam store, especially if it carried thimbleberry jam.

      Like

      Reply

      1. You could set up a blind taste test. Customer is presented with three small toast pieces with jam on them. Customer has to guess the berry used for the jam. The reward for three correct guesses is a free pot of jam.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

        4. You can buy canned fish balls at Ingebretsen’s, but I’d never consider serving them on toast or rusk. No sir, if you’re going to have a traditional Scandinavian white meal, let them be served with boiled potatoes in a white bechamel sauce. It you want to get fancy, okay, sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top, and a dollop of mustard on the side.

          Like

  8. I would have an ice cream store….REAL…TRUE…ICE CREAM. Not that stuff in most stores that has ingredients such as gum and some I have no understanding of what they might be.

    Vanilla Bean….but also the ones that have yummy ingredients added…and only the best of ingredients…..so the ice creams would not only be rich and delicious they’d also be expensive but worth every penny.

    And i proceed to eat nothing but ice cream and turn into a pudgy old lady….a happy pudgy old lady…..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Evening all – since I am always stopping off at the hardware store for various size screws and nails, that’s what I want to sell in my shop.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.