Winning the Seat Lottery

In general I tend to be a keep-to-myself kind of airline passenger. I take the window seat, almost never use the airplane restroom, and preoccupy myself with very independent activities like reading or napping.

On yesterday’s trip home from Charleston, however, I sat next to two extraordinary people.

person the first: exceptionally cute African studies college chick eager to talk to Mike D.
person the second: Mayonnaise Salesman.

Can you believe it? A mayonnaise salesman!! I had all sorts of questions to ask this man. Admittedly, I didn’t even know there were salesmen for consumer products as standard as mayonnaise, but apparently the wars are less for shelf space and more for the store brands. This particular man worked for Cains, a brand that I don’t frequent – but that does supply the mayonnaise for Stop and Shop and Big Y brands.

What’s different between the store brand and the brand name? Actually, quite a bit. It’s a different recipe. Apparently Cains has a slightly more citrus tang as they use higher lemon content instead of preservatives. The store brands have a recipe that more closely follows Hellmann’s mayonnaise with its more eggy flavor.

I also got an abridged history of John Cains and Henry Smith, the founders of Cains.

What a great flight.