Ralph鈥檚 Joy of Living is a one-stop-shop for all things home-goods.While many of the goods they offer are for an older crowd than 海外吃瓜 tends to serve between the months of August and May, as a recent graduate, this place rocks. Many older students will probably feel the same after a visit.
The back part of the store is my favorite. I鈥檓 a bit of a kitchen nut, so looking through all of the weird gadgets and accessories really does bring that 鈥渏oy of living鈥 to life. I鈥檓 also particularly fond of their oil and balsamic vinegar section. In the back right corner of the store, there鈥檚 a portion of the wall covered in little barrels 鈥 with a table out front with bottles and tiny cups of bread pieces. This is where the party gets started.
I had never sampled oil and vinegar at a store before, so when I opened the cup of bread, I was expecting something akin to a Eucharist that had been prepared but forgotten until the following week: in a word, stale. But I was so pleasantly surprised that these little pieces of bread were soft and fresh, and perfect for sampling the rows of oils and vinegar that lined the table. The woman who ran the sampling table was so kind, asking my favorite (and least favorite) flavors, and giving her honest recommendations. After several taste tests, I decided on a sriracha balsamic vinegar (which has seen a good bit of use since I bought it). Before I went to the counter, she took some extra time to try to find me a few different recipe cards that involved the vinegar I had bought. As I checked out, she invited me to some of the store鈥檚 upcoming events, like cooking classes or wine tastings based around the products they had in store. Although the timing hasn鈥檛 aligned for me to attend one of these events yet, I鈥檓 still keeping an eye out for my next excuse to go back.
As mentioned, there are a lot of products that Ralph鈥檚 sells, and I haven鈥檛 bought all of them, so I don鈥檛 feel entitled to speak to all of them. However, the people who work at Ralph鈥檚 have always been incredibly sweet to me and my friends and family, and interested in our lives and how to best help us out. I鈥檓 really impressed with their customer service and the fact that such a varied product line can be contained in such a neat, uniform identity. It鈥檚 Ralph鈥檚 Joy of Living 鈥 and that鈥檚 just what it is.
For those of you who were just bored to tears by my epic through the world of oil and vinegar, don鈥檛 worry: I have more food to talk about.
Recently, in the same lot as Ralph鈥檚 Joy of Living, a new deli has opened up. The Deli Cafe at Frost Village is based in one of Tiffin鈥檚 old churches. It鈥檚 a New York Style Deli, but to be frank, it feels much more gourmet than some of the deli鈥檚 I鈥檝e visited in NYC. When I walked up the stairs to get in, I was blown away by the aesthetics of the place: the ceiling is painted light blue with little clouds, and local artists鈥 work is featured throughout the dining area.
But the food is also to die for. They have a wide variety of hearty sandwiches as well as lighter fares. I鈥檝e been there a few times and each time, I try something new 鈥 and I鈥檓 always impressed. Most recently, I had the cobb sandwich which was simply wonderful. They鈥檝e always been super accommodating when I鈥檝e asked for alterations to my food (I鈥檓 an avid tomato-hater.) It鈥檚 been very fun to bring my family to the Deli and introduce them to one of my new favorite restaurants in town.
I definitely recommend everyone to hit up the Deli. If you have taste buds, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l find something to enjoy!