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The Philosopher and the Checkout Girl
- Abstract
Early on a Tuesday morning at Dominick’s supermarket on Broadway, Howard Salzman, retired professor of philosophy, emptied his cart onto the conveyor belt in the express line, Twenty Items or Less. “Fewer,” he noted to himself, “not ‘less.’” He set out six cartons of fat-free Lucerne yogurt in assorted flavors, two bottles of Pellegrino, a half-pound of turkey pastrami, a package of six Bay’s English muffins, three Granny Smith apples, four Anjou pears, a loaf of rye bread, and a jar of Poupon mustard.
“Excuse me,” the checker said, “you look familiar. Didn’t you used to shop at our Evanston store?”
About the Author
Joseph Epstein is a regular contributor to COMMENTARY.
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