Fruitography in a strange place

Peppers galore
Cote St. Luc, QC
March 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If you've followed my work for a while, you may already know that I have a bit of a thing for walking into grocery stores and taking ridiculous photos of whatever I find. It's usually, but not always, in the fruit and vegetable aisle, and I call it fruitography*.

My father-in-law was recently moved into long-term care, and in a rare moment of lucidity yesterday he asked for some Pepsi. So I did what any son-in-law would do: I walked to the supermarket a few blocks away and got him some Pepsi.

This journey being what it is, though, I needed to find the happy in the moment. The store is part of a mall called Quartier Cavendish (nee Cavendish Mall), in the middle of Cote St. Luc, a Montreal suburb I knew all too well growing up. Many of my friends lived here. I took lifeguarding exams in the long-demolished Y a few blocks away. My great aunt and uncle lived just opposite my FIL's window.

So being here again felt, I don't know, like I was coming back home, or reconnecting in a way And I thought today would be a fun day to introduce everyone here to fruitography.

I used my smartphone and shot fast (pro tip: they actually think you're playing Fortnite and not shooting surreptitious pics of the produce.) By the time I got to the lettuce display, I stopped counting how many sidelong glances were cast my way. I smiled back in the hope it brought them as much joy as it brought me.

Life is short, after all, and as long as we have the ability to wreak good-natured photographic havoc among the green peppers, we owe it to ourselves - and to others - to do just that. Maybe you'll see me by the rutabagas next time out.

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* More examples here, here, here, and here.