Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 12, 2011

10

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE CONSPIRACY

By Rev. James L. Snyder

I am not a great believer in conspiracies. 

I do not believe Bigfoot really exists except in the 
strained imaginations of some people. Some want 
to believe in Bigfoot, and some need to believe in 
Bigfoot. I'm not one of them.

I do not believe in the Loch Ness monster. I am 
sure some Scotsman, after a few nips at the jug, 
saw something. One thing about the Loch Ness 
monster is it has been good for tourist trade in 
Scotland. Who but a Scotsman could figure out a 
way to make money out of some illusionary figment 
of someone's imagination?

I do not believe in UFOs. The only UFO I have 
ever seen was right after the Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage and I were married. Often when 
coming home from work I was treated to a UFO 
(Unidentified Fried Object). I am not complaining 
because whatever they were, they were delicious. 
I really do not have to know what I am eating 
to enjoy what I am eating.

But when it comes all these conspiracies, I cast a 
jaundiced eye toward them.

None of these so-called conspiracies has ever 
registered in my book. This past week, however, 
I have discovered that there is a real conspiracy 
afoot.

It was a Saturday afternoon and I had just finished 
some work at my office and was headed home. 
My wife asked me to pick up a few things at the 
grocery store on my way home, and I proceeded 
to do so. I had no idea what I was headed for or 
what was in store for me.

I parked and then headed for the entrance to the 
grocery store. Halfway across the parking lot I 
spied them. At first, it sent a chill up my spine 
because there was no way to get into the grocery 
store without passing them. I glanced to my right 
and then looked to my left but there was no other 
entrance into the grocery store.

I approached the store entrance slowly and the 
closer I got to it the bigger they became. There 
were six of them and they had spied me right off. 
It was enough to cause me to lose my nerve.

I had never seen such a sight before. There before 
me were six of the biggest, brown eyes I had ever 
seen. The closer I got, the bigger they became. 
And the bigger they got, the smaller my nerve 
got.

But I was determined. Nothing was 
going to flag my gait into the grocery 
store. Then I heard them. It was bad 
enough to see them but now I was close 
enough to hear them.

"Hey Mr., want some Girl Scout 
cookies?"

Those words cut deep into my soul as 
nothing I had ever experienced before. 
I thought if I just could ignore them, 
they would disappear.

"What's the matter Mr., don't you like 
Girl Scout cookies?"

Don't I like Girl Scout cookies? I'll say. 
I love them.

These six large brown eyes came in 
pairs and adorned three very adorable 
young girls dressed up as Girl Scouts. 
If only they would have been boys, I could have 
handled it better. If they were boys I could have 
said, "Not today, boys. I'm in a hurry."

But, they were Girl Scouts. Cute, little Girl Scouts 
with big brown eyes.

"Mr., it's only $4.00 a box. How many boxes do 
you want?"

How many do I want? That is not the question. 
The question is, how many boxes do you have? 
Better yet, how many can I hide from my wife 
when I get home?

I stood at their table and pretended to look at the 
variety of cookies they had for sale. But as everybody 
knows, one Girl Scout cookie is as good as 
any Girl Scout cookie. Besides, it does go for a 
good cause.

Now that I was at their table, I had a dilemma. 
All I had in my pocket was a $20 bill. As those 
large, brown eyes looked at me, all six of them, I 
just did not have the heart to buy one box and ask 
for change.

"They all look so good I don't know which one to 
pick," I said to them.

"We'll help you pick them out."

That solved that problem but I still had the problem 
of the $20 bill. As I pulled the bill from my 
wallet, I could feel those eyes piercing into my 
soul. Why do Girl Scouts have to be so cute and 
why do they have to have such big brown eyes? 
This is a conspiracy if ever I heard of a conspiracy.

Finally, I did what anybody else would have done.

"Give me five boxes," and I hesitated slightly, 
"here's $20."

All six of those brown eyes danced as the rest of 
the bodies cheered quite loudly.

On my way home with my Girl Scout cookies I 
thought of a verse of Scripture. "Give, and it shall 
be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, 
and shaken together, and running over, shall men 
give into your bosom. For with the same measure 
that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you 
again" (Luke 6:38 KJV).

Not only did I have the delight of five boxes of 
Girl Scout cookies but also I had the joy of giving, 
which can never be minimized.

Editor’s Note: The Moral of this story: Support Your 
Local Girl Scout Troop! Buy Cookies!

 Mountain Views News Saturday, March 12, 2011 

PASADENA SHINES FOR RESTAURANT WEEK

Pasadena’s restaurant community opens its doors for the first Pasadena Restaurant Week 
which takes place from Sunday, March 27 through Friday, April 1, 2011.

Pasadena Restaurant Week is a citywide event featuring the cuisine of many of Pasadena’s 
top dining establishments. Participating restaurants will offer at least three fixed price dinner 
and/or lunch menu items for visitors. Dinners will be three-course meals while lunches 
will be two course meals. Depending on the venue and menu offered, meals will be priced 
at $23, $34 or $45 for dinner or $15, $20 or $25 for lunch. (Some prices may vary for lunch 
and dinner, depending on the venue. Alcoholic beverages, gratuity and tax are not included 
in the price unless specified by the individual restaurants.)

Pasadena Restaurant Week was conceived to reintroduce Pasadena as a restaurant destination 
and remind local residents and visitors that Pasadena offers dining experiences to satisfy 
foodies of all tastes at all price ranges. Participating restaurants will be preparing special 
meals at extraordinary introductory prices.

Restaurants that are participating include some of the city’s finest eating destinations 
including:

1810 (eighteen ten), a/k/a An American Bistro

Bar Celona

Celestino Ristorante

Derek’s Bistro

El Cholo

El Portal

Elements Kitchen

Green Street Restaurant

Japon Bistro

Malbec

Maria’s Italian Kitchen

Mijares

Noir Food and Wine

Pie ‘n Burger

Robin’s Woodfire BBQ and Grill

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

The Terrace at the Langham

Trevo’s at the Hilton

Villa Sorriso and Ix-Tapa. 

It is anticipated that more than 30 local dining establishments 
will take part in Pasadena Restaurant Week. 

“It is very exciting to have so many fine restaurants taking part,” said Paul Little, president 
and chief executive officer of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. “The event is generating 
a lot of enthusiasm from our restauranteurs who are excited to be able to showcase their 
extraordinary menus for visitors during Pasadena Restaurant Week.” 

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association is a professional business organization. 
Since the earliest days of Pasadena, the Chamber has played a major role in the 
development of this internationally renowned city. Since 1888, when the organization was 
founded as the Board of Trade, the Chamber's primary purpose has been the enhancement 
of both the business climate and the quality of life in Pasadena. The Pasadena Chamber of 
Commerce serves 1500 members. 

Listen every Saturday Evening to KABC Radio for Dining with Dills

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills


SIERRA MADRE KIWANIS CLUB 
BOXES UP CARE PACKAGES FOR 
OUR TROOPS


Sierra Madre Kiwanis members, l to r: Susan Henderson, President; Marc Van Cleave, 
Clem Bartolai, Jacki Raymond, George Maurer and Gordon Caldwell

Members of the Sierra 
Madre club are all smiles 
as they prepare to pack 
and send 200 boxes to our 
troops in Afghanistan. 
Along with other San Gabriel 
Valley clubs from 
Arcadia, Covina (South 
Hills), Duarte, El Monte, 
Glendora ( Glendora & 
Glendora Kiwaniannes), 
Hacienda Heights, La Puente 
Industry, Monrovia, 
Walnut Valley (serving 
Diamond Bar, Walnut & 
Rowland Heights), and 
West Covina, the care 
boxes included toiletries, 
socks, books and other 
goodies donated by each 
club. There were more 
than 100 Kiwanians, including 
they youthful Key Clubbers present for 
the ‘stuffing as well as Marines in uniform from 
every generation including one Marine from 
World War II. Many of the volunteers were also 
veterans of the armed forces. 


Above, George Maurer and Gordon 
Caldwell have a good laugh before they get 
to work. The Sierra Madre club purchased 
200 pairs of thermal military socks for the 
troops.

 Left,a Glendora Kiwanis Member is surrounded 
by Marines from WWII, the Vietnam 
War, the war in Afghanistan and a Korean 
War Marine.