The Ritual of Buying Bread
Reflections on a Lost Practice in an Ever-Changing World
I walked to the market and picked up a fresh loaf of bread.
I know I can make my own bread at home, as I’ve done countless times before.
I could always drive to the store and buy bread. It’s not like bread is the most expensive commodity. A couple of bucks at the big box grocers will get you a bag of ciabatta or a pack of sliced bread. It would be faster to drive too.
So why do I insist on walking and bearing the brunt of a Canadian winter? Is fresh bread worth the risk of frostbite?
Perhaps it’s all unnecessary. Still, there’s something ritualistic about it. About walking to the local family-owned market to pick up some bread. Walking feels better for your soul. Then there’s the market itself. The familiar, smiling faces of the workers greeting you as you walk in. As if to say, we value your business and ongoing commitment to shopping here.
There’s also the other regulars. You get to know them after a while. All the small talk as you wait in line with them at the bakery counter adds up. It’s all more personal and enjoyable than it is to go to the regular grocers. There, everyone is fighting for a parking space or with a sales associate after an item scanned the wrong price. Those issues don’t exist at the market…
