Every once in a while you meet some one in your life and know just with in the first five minutes that you are looking at this person and know " that's the way life is meant to be lived " and if you ever meet Ernie Hassan you know what I am talking about. Usually this kind of spirit is found in a church, maybe in politics, but Ernie is about living, and his living is sandwiches. The best in the Detroit area ( voted that way 4 years in a row by the way ) and he has been doing it for 60 years. When Ernie makes a sandwich he likes to hook it up ! When he really likes you, Ernie will make you a sandwich and put a " lot of love " on that sandwich. He will tell you it's not about the money. It's about a simple idea. To make the best sandwich your lips have ever put themselves onto. Having tried one myself, I got to say I was really impressed. That is not what has stuck with me, even though the sandwich was pretty impressive itself, but to actually meet someone who is living their dream, who day after day is pursuing their pleasure, always a smile on their face, it's almost as if you were standing in real life inside an Ayn Rand novel, it can make you feel in real life what Galt's Gulch was written about. Why the concept of " the pursuit of happiness " is so important. To stand in front of that kind of enthusiasm, watching someone actually enjoy their work, even if only observing, the excitement this man brings to the world with his little store can fill your entire soul for days.
There is a deep satisfaction in knowing that we live in a country where this type of independent, small business still can thrive. The Market itself sits on a corner in the back of an industrial neighborhood in Oak Park. It is the kind of place you would drive by in a more Urban area and not pay attention to, in fact it almost looks abandoned. Step inside, and all you feel is love, warmth, and appreciation. That's what Ernie brings to this world......... if only there were more like him..............
For further reading on this please follow these links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt0xnwcdJIY
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