Well, marijuana has been legal here for a long time now, so who could resist acquiring some, even if just to say we had? Alex and I had talked about going shopping together, but I finally took matters into my own hands on a trip back from the library. There are two licensed shops located fairly conveniently; I chose Herban Legends, on Bell Street a bit north of the Pike Place Market.
I was carded inside the door (a big change from the old days, but always flattering for a person of my years). Even without ID you can choose to turn left into the paraphernalia department and acquire cool hemp-themed items; but I entered the dimly-lit drug den itself. I headed for the comestibles. A fellow customer asked me if I were a fan of edibles, but the answer is probably that I am just no longer a smoker.
I bought a couple of peanutbutter-cup-like items, since that’s what we eat too much of at Halloween. Another thing that’s changed: the last time I bought tetrahydrocannabinol, there was little discussion about organic production or gluten-free ingredients.
The candies were six bucks each, cash. On my way out I met another customer who also offered identification but was just waved through. I guess maybe he was a regular.
Our other drug-related story involves Los Pollos Hermanos. Fans of the series Breaking Bad will recognize this as the name of the business that was the front for Gus Fring’s distribution network; but of course the temptation to use it in the non-fiction world has proved irresistible. Some folks have apparently been sued for copyright infringement, for duplicating the logo that appeared on TV; but the trade name would be a different story.
Our local version is a Peruvian/Mexican store and restaurant, just south of the place where we used to eat when we biked to Shoreline. We were already shopping here for things like epazote and the elusive lime Jarritos, even before we tried out the prepared food. Days after our first meal the Seattle Times gave the place a glowing review and apparently it was very busy for a while.
The barbecue-style chicken has a most wonderful and distinctive flavor. The paradox is that the chicken is itself so plump that the sauce has trouble keeping up.
Update: A notice on Facebook suggests that Los Pollos closed at the end of February 2018. Best wishes, Brian!