The Underdog (Part 2)

A few weeks ago I felt like a sausage roll after tackling Balmoral steps…I know, what’s the point! But let’s not get distracted here…..So instead of going to the French Patisserie, or Pattison’s or Hanna’s Cake Shop which I frequent….I decided since I parked around the corner from the low-end local bakery run by Asians I would give their sausage roll a try….

Their shopfront is one you would find near a train station for example. A small bakery with a old scratched glass serving cabinet which could be rolled back and forth to let the staff in and out. A young asian man greeted me and I ordered my sausage roll. I paid my $3.50 and had not yet seen the ordered item. When I paid the guy, he said ‘thank you, thaannk YOU’. I quickly rounded the corner and peered into my paper bag to see if it would satisfy my craving….I saw a small log of pork mince which had shrunk away from the pastry which was pale and not golden in colour….for a split second I had regretted my purchase as I remembered the deep caramel golden sheets of flaky pastry encasing a juicy rump of herbed mince from the French patisserie. No shrinkage there. But then the young asian guy’s ‘thank you’s were ringing in my ears and that made it worthwhile. It made me think the shop certainly has a lot of competition, I’m not so sure how it has survived with it’s simple shopfront and simple baked items in Mosman!

As I ate the sausage roll at home trying to enjoy the simplicity of it….I thought to myself - sometimes it is worthwhile getting something that may not be the best of the bunch. Maybe I was over-reacting to the young man’s thank you’s….but I know sincerity when I hear it….what more could one want than a trade of a sausage roll and multiple sincere thank you’s!

Perhaps I feel too much for the underdog, but I think on the odd occasion I will go for less than best.