Pr3++yG33kyTh1ng

Saturday we attended an "away" swim meet for Gwynyth.
The subdivision that had issued the challenge was quite a fair distance from our normal area and we had to leave home before seven to make the drive. On a Saturday. It hurt a lot.
Anyway, I've been impressed with the stuff done by Gwynyth's team at "home" events. They sell cola for 50 cents a can, candy for about the same amount and burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches hot off a parent-operated grill at a reasonable couple of bucks a piece.
This competing team, though . . . There were just so many of them.
In Gwynyth's 7-8 year old girl's bracket, there are 8 girls on her team. The other team had 40! And one of ours didn't show up!
Okay, but that's not all.
They had sponsors. I mean, Gwynyth's team has a banner for a pool cleaning service and (I think) a Mexican Restaurant down the road, but the other team had Chase Bank, Chick-Fil-A, Home Depot and some investment company.
But the real difference was in the food.
I couldn't figure out the system, first of all. My money (clearly labelled as legal tender for all debts public and private) was foreign to the catering company running the snack (Teriyaki chicken wings and pork short ribs?) area. The cash needed to be exchanged for tickets. These tickets could be traded for food or team-branded merchandise. I assume this was to avoid giving the state sales tax, but I always assume money laundering is the motivation.
I decided to skip it and walk to the car for quarters which can be exchanged through the Coke machine for Diet Coke. I'm familiar with that system. It makes me happy.
As I passed behind the food area, one of the mothers announced that they were running low on rosemary and someone would need to make a run for more.
I'm not kidding. She actually said that.
I know your reaction would be much like mine.
How do people run out of rosemary? And they were going to go on selling stuff as if it still qualified as food? Even while reducing the rosemary usage to make it last until the guy on the golf cart got back with the re-supply?
What do they think we are? Animals?