It’s a shimmery teal marble eyed dead thing. Well… its at least the head of a shimmery teal marble eyed fish. It’s staring up at me from a wicker basket, a fairytale picnic basket. The juxtaposition puts a lump in my throat.

The following item is a rounded plastic tub, looking at the label offers no answers. Twarog, it reads. Sounds like the name of a pokemon I caught on my gameboy back in 07’. I open the tub and clumps of chunky white curds stare back at me. Huh.

Next comes a bundle of stinky onions, which seem worse for the trip in the basket. Their round lightbulbs of layered flesh gleam in the evening light coming through my kitchen window. Turning it over, spots on the outside rim have gone purplish green and slimy. I’ll pass.

There’s a note at the bottom, so I carefully slide the gelatinous head, vile cheese and moldy onions to the side.

In cursive marked with a wobbly hand it reads, “Pasta z wedzonej makreli. Your favorite! Love, your Mamusia”