Minnesota Prairie Roots

THE BREAD MAN was giving out bread samples on Saturday at a local grocery store.

I call him the “Bread Man” because I don’t know his name. He has a few decades on me and he’s the nicest, smiley-est demo person I’ve ever met. I’m pretty certain he also sells a lot of bread. He’s a convincing salesman.

I once worked as a grocery store demo person. I can appreciate the Bread Man’s skills.

After sampling a few mini-slices of artisan style bread, I picked up a bag of the Sicilian Baking Stone Bread which the Bread Man recommended. With the 50-cent off coupon he offered, the loaf cost only $1.49. I couldn’t pass on the deal as it would be the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday noon birthday meal for my 17-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter.

The Bread Man plied me with his offers and I quickly snatched up a loaf of Sicilian bread.

I also could not resist the flirtatious salesman. “If you like the bread, come back and give me a hug,” the Bread Man told me and another woman. “If you don’t like the bread, come back and I’ll give you a hug.” We all laughed.

And then he called me “young lady.” I haven’t been called “young lady” in, well, uh, a long time. That Bread Man…

Some time ago, while dining at a now-closed Faribault restaurant, my daughter and I were presented with bread and a saucer containing a mix like this. I wondered why the restaurant was serving chocolate with bread. Really. I'm not making this up. My daughter quickly explained that this was balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil for bread dipping. Balsamic what? I am not used to such fancy food. When I bought the Bread Man's Sicilian bread, I also made my own dipping sauce with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My only question: Are you supposed to swirl the two together? I am not a foodie. I need your expertise.

Olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar created the perfect, healthy dip for the Bread Man's Sicilian bread.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling