Baking Up A Storm

(It is the early 80s, back in the day when food assistance was an actual booklet of vouchers, and the cashiers manually ring in what goes on the vouchers and what doesn’t. We are at the store with our next door neighbor, who is buying, among other things, the ingredients for a birthday cake for her son.)

Cashier: *moves aside the baking soda* “You can’t put that on your food stamps.”

Neighbor: *moves it back* “Uh, yes, I can.”

Cashier: *moves it aside again* “No, you can’t. That’s not food.”

Neighbor: “Yes, it is. I need it for my son’s birthday cake.”

Cashier: “No, it goes in the fridge to control smells. You can’t put that on food stamps!”

Neighbor: “Lady, it says BAKING soda right on it and there are recipes on it. It’s food!”

Cashier: “No, it isn’t!”

(Our neighbor finally had the cashier call for a manager who told her that yes, you can cook with baking soda, and to allow it to go on the food vouchers.)