Chronicles of "THE CRAVING" part deux

I am wearing one of Brooks' bibs right now - the kind that catch anything that misses your mouth. You see, for the last 2 hours I have trekked up and down, in and out of this melting pot of a city searching for THE CRAVING. It started as just an inkling or an itch for something and now it has turned out to be an all out competition between my inner-yearnings and the international- supermarket scene here in Atlanta. So the bib is catching the drool from my mouth as I salivate over my beloved mochi yet continue on my never ending quest - rather unsuccessfully to date.

I mentioned THE CRAVING last week. I thought I hit the jackpot Friday as several dear friends and fellow cravers sent me to a few local places to find the object of my affection. Much to my dismay, the thing I am searching for seems to be even unknown to the places that carry it in another form.

Take two. Saturday I had an all day course that I had to take to keep up my certification for group exercise instruction. I was dreading this Saturday as I hate to miss a weekend day with my boys. I was looking at the clock all day and just wishing I was hanging out with the big man and the little man. During the last break of the day my spirits changed. Yoko, my colleague sitting across the room from me overheard me talking to another lady about THE CRAVING. She chimed in and sent me to a true Japanese grocery store in Norcross. Better than that - the lady I was talking to happened to have a business connection to Juicy Green, a new fro-yo place in Virgina Highlands. What???? That means she is sure to know how I can get my hands and stomach around some of my chewy goodness.

Immediately after the class Brad and I headed to the Highlands for an early dinner and a special treat after - a trip to Juicy Green to talk to the owner about buying mochi from him. Alas, he was off that night so we went scurrying to the Japanese market only to find out that it was too late. Yesterday I just sat in agony knowing I needed to actually pay attention to the people in my life and not my inner cravings so I tried to push the thought of the plump ball of sugar out of my mind and focus on my real most prized possessions - my family.

Here's where it gets insane and slightly ridiculous. In the middle of what would be Brooks' afternoon nap today I decided we would field trip all over the city and hopefully come back winners at the end of the day. International grocery stores are just like Publix right, to the true Southern girl?

Right. Oh gosh y'all.....if I had a dollar for every "you are in the wrong place, honey" look that I got I would just buy my own mochi machine! My first stop, the Buford Highway Farmers Market was a gem if you are in the market for beautiful produce at a great price but is a bomb if you are looking for an item from a foreign country and happen to only speak English and marginal Spanish. Let's just say any of the Asian employees thought my baby was cute but didn't recognize the sheer terror and confusion on my face as I strolled up and down the aisles feeling everything in it's package. The item that I was finally pointed to came in a can and was pictured as a topping on red beans and rice. Not so much. I couldn't imagine that the same puff ball that has now added unnecessary stress to my unborn child and nearly 100 miles to my car is the same as the one I would adorn on my red beans and rice!

Off to Tomato, supposedly the only true Japanese grocery store in the metro area. Apparently I am not the only fanatic American to think I could prance in a Japanese grocery store and strut out with a sense of accomplishment. The store clerk looked at me like who is the master of your crazy tribe and why do they keep sending you people to me for this Americanized product. You see, there are aisles and aisles of mochi products - all with pictures of the various fillings inside of the authentic mochi. The fillings include anything from squid to mint to pistachio cream. What??? I JUST WANT SOME DANG MARSHMALLOW TYPE stuff that couldn't be that hard to make and couldn't be more than the $1.19 you pay for a bag of the Jet puffed kind at Publix!

Brooks and I both came home today feeling very defeated and silly. Has this craving gone too far? I have the will power to get over it and move on, right? Wrong. I put Brooks down for a nap and immediately called my pseudo-friend, Brian, the owner of my favorite, Yogurberry. Let's just say - the guy is my favorite when I am in his store but he also is a wise business man and wasn't about to expose his source and thus maybe lose me as a visitor almost everyday! Not even for a pregnant woman, he didn't budge but said I could order through him for a slight mark up. I feel even more silly and defeated. Surely I am not the type of a person that would let a obsession/addiction desire control my daily agenda? Surely now. But I am. I am that pregnant girl, who if you are reading this and you have a real job in a real office making real green money you are laughing at me and thinking I need something more to pass my time than chasing a marshmallow all over town. You see, for a mom with an important job but not a sit-at-a-desk or run-a-meeting type of job these little "missions" or "tasks", if you will, give me a great sense of accomplishment.....of course, once they are actually accomplished. So today, I feel like a loo-hooo-hoo-ooser (thank you Jim, Carey) and to drown my sorrows I am eating whipped cream straight from the can. No lie. I don't even like whipped cream it just seems fitting. Straight from the can - no lies, people.

Possibly to be continued.

Mochi -3, Me -0