I walked into Penn Macaroni Co knowing I knew absolutely nothing about cured meats and cheeses. I've always been intimidated by specialty shops b/c there are always giant lines with people who look impatient and want to just grab what they need and head out. I decided to swallow up my fear and head inside with the intention of walking out knowing more than when I walked in.
I headed to the cured meats section in the deli room and kinda just stood back staring at all the beautiful meats. When one of the deli guys was free and asked me if I needed help, I flat out told him "I know nothing about anything in this room. But I want to learn." And he was like "I got just what you need" and brought out some samples for me. He went on to explain them to me and what kind of cheeses to pair with stuff. After I picked out my meat, I was heading over to the cheese counter when he kinda called me out and was like "I'm not done with you yet!" and handed me butcher paper with even more cured meats and cheeses to try out. He also told me I have to feed my friend more b/c she looked too skinny, =P.
I love going into a store where I get individualized attention by someone who actually cares about what he or she is doing and is passionate about his or her job. It just makes you walk out with a smile on your face.
I plan on heading back every other week to get a new pairing of meats and cheeses and hopefully one day my palate will be super sophisticated, haha