problems? Not unconnected.
Evidently it was an electric fire that occurred while some minor
construction/maintenance was being done, putting to rest all of my
morbid imaginings of competitor sabotage. It should have been
relatively minor, but when the fire trucks came they had no water with
which to put it out. Oh, Giyani.
Of course, if it really were minor a fire extinguisher should have
been able to deal with it, and no story I have heard yet has accounted
for this mysterious absence. You would think that basic standards of
commercial safety would cover this, no?
Fortunately, they were well-insured, so word has it that all the
(many) people they employed will still get paid while the store is
closed, which may take until December, current estimates say.
We should also all be grateful that I haven't set fire to my house
yet. Or electrocuted myself in a fatal manner. The tangle of cords
and switches in my cooking corner are a blatant fire hazard, and there
have been some exciting close calls. I'm considering forsaking
electricity for safety's sake, or at least until I get tired of
reading by flashlight and eating raw carrots.
On another note, I am dealing with the excruciatingly lines at the
other grocery store by buying produce from vendors at the taxi rank.
Today I bought some potatoes from a nice kokwana, who was so impressed
with my Tsonga skillz that she kept quizzing me while I dug for the
change at the bottom of my bag. It feels less offensive to have
kokwanas (older women/grandmothers) marvel at my strangeness than the
teenagers, though then again, the last teenage girl who marveled at me
(while I purchased something) was also awesome and ran to get me an
awesome container for the thing I was buying.
I wonder if I can live off of things purchased in the taxi rank? I
bet I could, but eventually I would run out of garlic and then go
running to the nearest grocery store unrepentantly.
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