Some Observations on the Art of Sampling at Baker's Delight

In preface, this post does not mean that my life has lost all interesting facets, nor has it become so intrinsically boring that I have resorted to..well particularly what I have resorted to - repeated sampling of the new range of Baker's Delight scones.

First I must explain the truly delicious nature of these carby, fatty, utterly bad for you morsels from the Nanna-Approved provider of baked goods prominent throughout Australia.
They are stupendous. There are multiple varieties in existence including Chocolate Coconut, White Chocolate and Mixed Berry, Chocolate Chip Banana, Date and a host of other scrumptious concoctions.

Bakers Delight is one of the only Australian food companies to make bite sized (and therefore, calorie-free..) samples of it's wares readily available to the public. Most retailers partake in this practice. "The Sample" was one of my favourite phenomena prevalent throughout dining establishments of the take-away variety in the USA (see recent posts "Seattle Soiree) and seems to be quite misunderstood in Australia.

In Los Estados Unidos I discovered that one can eat lunch purely from samples provided at food courts (or QFC). You go to the counter, ask to try a, b, c and d then say you have to go think about it. They forget your face in about 5 seconds flat so when you go back again and ask for samples of d, c, b and a they happily hand them over to you. Then the trick is to get the disgruntled Cinnabon employee who, when asked for a sample, takes an entire cinnamon bun, cuts it into 4 chunks, sticks 4 toothpicks in it and hands you the whole plate. GENIUS! (PS. Cinnabon rocks my size 00 world.)

Over the past few days (read: weeks..ok read: ever) I have noticed that when you want to sample, say, the white chocolate and mixed berry Baker's Delight scone, if this scone is not readily available you find yourself coming up with some ridiculous reason why you should be allowed to try this food.

"My friends said it was good.."
"I'm trying to choose a dessert and I can't decide..."
"Oh wow, you have new scones! What are they like?"
"I've had the chocolate one but never the mixed berry, what's that like?!"
etc etc

Not only does one commit lying to the acne-prone staff behind the counter when, in all reality although they are the current keepers of these baked goods the moment they clock off they stuff gigantic plastic bags with all unsold wares and distrubute them to friends, family and hungry pets. They don't care if you want to try something, of course they don't but once they put on that burgundy checked cap they take on an odd menacing quality similar to someone like a school crossing guard with no proper authority but who would have you imagine they are the Swiss Guard and the pastries are the crown jewels.

So from the "ooh, what's this, can I try it?" in Mosman at 1pm to the "oh you have mixed berry too?" in Balmain at 6pm it would probably just be easier to part with the measly $1.70 but then of course, my snack would be far too large, contain an inordinate calorific content and taste truly bittersweet to my inner-Jewish woman named Yentl.

Post-script: I felt so incredibly guilty on my third trip to "BD" today I actually broke down and purchased a Chocolate Chip Banana scone. I feel dirty. I think I'll throw it out.