If there is no other reason for you to step out of your own space today then let it be Herman and a jar of Long’s candied pickles. I made it out on a mission to meet Herman, nosh with friends at market and make a Season Olive Oil and Vinegar Taproom.
I’m pretty new to Lancaster Central Market. There are still new eats to be savored on each visit, dinners that I make for $10 and seasonal produce to keep me inspired but speaking with strangers seems to be the highlight of each trip. The stories of others are often more interesting than our own…though it’s been said we all have a story. Going to market is about doing more listening than yapping, for me anyway.
3 things Herman’s story taught me:
- A happy wife makes for a happy life.
- 92 hasn’t looked so good
- I’d take Mike’s candied pickles in leu of pay any day too
Herman has been faithfully heading to market for the past 26 years … at the least, it’s probably more like 60 ... every Tuesday and Friday even after his retirement from Armstrong. It’s during that time he’s been covering an early lunch break for Mike, the son of the original Long’s Horseradish standholder. That, of course, doesn’t include the many years he covered lunch for Mike’s father, also Herman’s High School friend.
When I found out this interesting tidbit about Herman it has been a mission of mine to meet him. To get on Herman time this required me to get my act together early because lunch break for him means 10am. He has been eluding me for weeks. More my fault..you know how it is when you have to be somewhere at a certain time…always late.
I was wildly delighted to finally make it to market,on a bustling Friday morning, to catch my first glimpse of the mysterious Herman. To be honest I couldn’t coax much from Herman, he’s rather shy but he was all smiles to meet me and was quick to tell me he’s only 75. Nah, he said, I’m 92.
Turns out that Herman, at his age, is not a big eater of spicy horseradish but prefers his pay in Long’s candied pickles. It’s these pickles he takes home to keep his wife happy, she just loves them.
I could not coax a favorite market or visitor story from Herman. I think it’s because he is rather modest. It’s a wonderful little marvel Herman stepped out of his office for decades to help out a friend at market. Why aren’t you stepping out more often?
Herman, the smiling face at Long’s Horseradish, booth 39, is someone you need to meet because, I’m sure, there is something that you can take away from that moment of shared time that goes beyond a mighty fine jar of candied pickles or horseradish. I took 3.
To date, Herman has no plans to retire from his volunteer duties. I think this makes lots of folks smile, don’t you?
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