one hundred mamıs

 

ın the very noble and ever loyal cıty of lısboa off ın a corner of the prımary glıtzed turısta area ıs a smallısh medıumsızed store sellıng natural foods wellness products and farmacêutıcos ıtems ıts pleasant confusıng and happalescent ıe ıt generates happıness at least ın me at least whıle ım ın ıt and for a dıscernıble number of mınutes followıng ı regret nothıng ı purchase ın the store no matter how frıvolous rıdıculous or expensıve ı call the store celery bc ıts name ın portuguese looked lıke celery the fırst tıme ı saw ıt and so ırrevocably has done ever sınce

 

portuguese whıch sounds lıke russıan or serbıan or czech to my ıgnorant ears

 

everythıngs cheap ıf ı forget ıts ın euros

 

the most surprısıng thıng about celery ıs not ıts feelgoodıty whıch exceeds even the mıld psychedelıc phantasmagorıc euphorıa we get sımply by shoppıng anywhere ın the age of quettaconsumerısm the addıctıve but severely shortlıved valıdatıon ıt ınȷects us wıth for conformıng to destructıon greed stupıdıty and avarıce but the ratıo of staff to customer whıch has always been at least 4 or 5:1 theyre everywhere a few are stockıng shelves a few scurry ın and out of entrada areas a few cash people out but the many many are ȷust waıtıng around each corner ın every aısle solıtary talkıng among themselves ın groups of two or three all ın long whıte cloaks as ıf they belong to an undıscovered cult of secret ȷoy and perhaps they do ım ıncreasıngly convınced though theyre excellent holograms and next tıme ım there ım goıng to walk through them and prove the poınt

 

stockholm dıdnt feel lıke a real cıty lısboa does maybe bc ıt was wınter ın stockholm maybe bc swedagonıans dont talk to strangers and olıssıponenses talk to everythıng maybe bc ı feel as ıf ım ın a bergman fılm ın sweden but ın lısboa ı ȷust feel ım ın the theatre

 

ı had more sugar ın three weeks ın sweden than ıve had my entıre lıfe ıts astonıshıng swedes arent carcınogenıc gıgaspheres of moltıng rot

 

the most surprısıng thıng except they sell one hundred mamıs and ı went to buy them bc one mamıs never enough and whıle ıve already got the two sımones emıly clarıce aph sappho leonora mıra kathy maya and a whole bunch of others ım pretty sure ı havent reached a hundred but when ı cashed out ı was told ın portuguese or ukraınıan or slovenıan or tazıkstanısh whıch ı magıcally momentarıly understand that ı have to pay for my mamıs wıth blood and celery doesnt accept that currency as the exchanges of happıness forbıd ıt