I started collecting shopping lists around 1997. One day, I was shopping for my daughter’s birthday party in St Louis, Missouri, where we lived. After leaving the store, I came across a yellow note in the parking lot. I picked it up and it was somebody’s shopping list. I thought, “That’s interesting. Well, whenever I see one, I will keep it.”
People collect all sorts of things you would never expect. It’s as if all these separate, unimportant things, when put together as a collection, suddenly become revealing. The first list I found was nothing special. But after you see a lot of them, the weird ones stick out. One I found is a long list of stuff and then, in the margin (空白处), someone had written: “If you buy any more rice, I’ll punch you.” Another one says at the bottom: “NO MORE CHIPS, JESSICA”.
The shopping list project started slowly. At first, it was just me and people I knew who would save lists for me. Then, at the beginning of the 2000s, I put it online. At that point, blogs were going mainstream. I had people messaging me, saying, “I work at a grocery store and have my own little collection, but I am not going to do anything with them. Do you want them?”
So I started receiving lists from everywhere in the world. It seemed there was a never-ending supply. At first, I kept my lists in an envelope. Then, as the collection grew, they went to a grocery bag, a cardboard box and finally a large plastic storage bin.
In 2012, I was approached by a publisher who wanted to turn my collection into a book. Then I started going through all my lists, figuring out ways to categorize and interpret them. Lists can tell you all sorts of things about a person. Some of them are organized and divide lists into sections—fruit, vegetables, dairy. Most of them are not. Some are on a budget.
The project is continuing, but it grows more slowly now. People can’t help peeking into the secret lives of others, but technology has made shopping lists more private. Most people use apps, like I do. I guess there might not be another book.
【小题1】How did the author start collecting shopping lists?| A．It was by chance. | B．It was out of interest. |
| C．It was for his daughter’s birthday. | D．It was inspired by a shopping experience. |
| A．It won instant fame. | B．It got worldwide support. |
| C．It helped solve family conflict. | D．It was funded by a grocery store. |
| A．To save room for more lists. | B．To make preparations for a book. |
| C．To dig out stories behind each list. | D．To pick out some lists for a publisher. |
| A．By giving vivid examples. | B．By showing relevant facts. |
| C．By following the time order. | D．By explaining various ideas. |
