There were many such home delivery centers, one of them was on Calea Floreasca behind some blocks of flats. So, they could not be spotted from the street. You went into a courtyard, it was a difficult one to find the first time, then there was a gangway, and one could see all sort of guys carrying crates. In 99% of the cases, the guys came in the evening after 6 o?clock. So that they did not create panic.

Anyway, at the home delivery center, I was the unfortunate fellow who went with the list. I felt sorry for me, because I experienced infinite nausea. I met all sort of surprising persons, who would look doubtfully at me, first they pretended not to have seen me, and then ?You too?? -?Me too.?. You would pay at home because you would not always get what you asked for. Oh, yes, one more thing, one could not buy, order, I mean, only meat. One had to order preserves as well, so that everything was balanced, for ?a healthy rational way of eating?; they would not give you only meat. The meat represented a kilo of meat and for the rest, just so that we could get it, we ordered cigarettes? Iraqi cigarettes.

We went to the 1989 Revolution with the chocolate from the home delivery center in our pockets. And the poor revolutionaries who protected the Television would tell us ?We do not need chocolate, we want water.? (S. R.-B., D. R.-B., 137, 138)

On Varsovia street, there was the home delivery center of the people of the nomenclature, which also had a section for the population but which the common man could not get to. At the Central Home Delivery Center, near Boema garden, there was a lady to whom we gave, weekly, a hundred lei and the list with what we wanted. On the established day, she would bring us the products home. Otherwise, you ended up continuously calling a number that was always busy. When in the end, someone would answer the phone, that person would tell you that they no longer received orders that day. At Varsovia, the supplier would bring us things that one could not find otherwise. There were also things that one did not need, such as Delicat that came in large quantities (we did not use it, but we gave it away to some of our relatives) one kg of Cuban cigarettes? (C. V., 129)

My mother knew the head of such a home delivery center. A certain Pahomie. What a strange name! This one was situated behind a block in Doroban*i. They had Ness there, pineapple compote (we would make pineapple cake out of it), eggs, beef, pork and bacon tins, you know, corn beef, meat, ham. The ham cost twenty-two lei, olives, figs, Albanian shells. We would leave Pahomie a massive tip. Others kept ringing for days, and it was busy all the time. (7)

But we were part of that privileged category who had a subscription at one of those home delivery centers.

One Sunday morning, we received a phone call. We had already moved house to my husband?s parents, and his father was sick in bed, yes, I think it was in '87, he could not get out of bed, when somebody wanted to speak to comrade Salageanu, member of the Academy. I told him that he was in bed and could not come and that I was his daughter-in-law. Now, I have to tell you that, back in '87, there were only around 20 members of the Academy who were still alive. And then, I presented enough moral guarantee to tell me what it was all about. ?I am calling you from the office of comrade Ursu we wanted to let you know that, starting with tomorrow, comrade Salageanu, member of the Academy had the right to order from a home delivery center.? You can imagine the happiness of the whole family. So, Sunday night, every two weeks, you could go there. Not weekly. We had the right only every two weeks. So, on Sunday, there was this happy moment when making the list and when comrade Salageanu, member of the Academy would smoke, drink vodka, drink Havana Club, Ness, eat Chinese chocolate? After two weeks, we received a phone call from the same person asking me if comrade Salageanu, member of the Academy was satisfied.