So there I was - Friday night and it was the end of the supermarket run.  My carefully chosen items, selected with thoughtful anticipation had been lovingly placed on the conveyor belt.

It was my turn to be served.  First I was met with those words that have now lost all value - “Want any ‘elp with y’ packin’?” The operative didn’t meet my eye as this was said - simply stared at the till.

And then we were off on some kind of macho-inspired race to get everything down that conveyor belt and into a pile before I could get it packed into bags.  The steak was minced, the strawberries were mashed.  I don’t even try for peaches anymore - they always end up as pulp.

So what do these operatives eat?  It certainly isn’t food.  They don’t appreciate it, they don’t love it, they simply move it from A to B in as disrespectful (to the food) a manner as possible.   Now I don’t work in a supermarket and maybe if I did then I would be the same about food, but there’s something going on here that devalues it - and it doing so it devalues the whole experience and the people involved - both buyer and seller.

So let’s love our food.  Let’s treat it with respect.  And maybe let’s even meet one another’s eyes and exchange a smile.