For the most part Grand Rapids is pretty familiar to me, and even though I grew up in a markedly different place, I'm not often struck by the glaring differences of this world called West Michigan. There have been a few moments, though. I'll share some.
- A Columbian friend asked me why there are so many churches in the U.S. I had to explain to him that this is the Mecca of all things "reformed", and there's a very healthy portion of other church denominations too. It's not a U.S. thing - it's a Grand Rapids thing.
- My bakery/coffee shop is closed on Sundays - would a place like this survive in Seattle? There are a whole lot of things that are closed on Sundays, and everything closes earlier around here.
Today's little venture, however, definitely takes the cake. I was up early buying some groceries so I could make some Baja Tempeh Tacos for our potluck tonight. I had a bunch of stuff, including a 12 pack of Labatt Blue (the tempeh marinade calls for a pilsner beer). As I put my beer on the conveyor, the words of the clerk magically transported me back to Colonial New England. "You can't buy beer on Sundays before noon."
I was flabbergasted, "really?!"
"Really. Michigan state law."
Many of you may think I'm being overly dramatic here - after all, Pennsylvania won't let you buy any alcohol anytime on Sundays, and in Michigan you can at least buy beer and liquor in a regular grocery store as opposed to state run liquor stores. Still, I couldn't help but feel oppressed. I hung my head in despair and left the store. In my mind my Sunday morning drunken binge was turning into a Sunday afternoon drunken binge. All of a sudden I had several hours to kill with nothing to do but . . .
go to church!! Wow, I guess these laws really work!
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