I don’t really know a lot about food. For much of my life I ate because fuel is needed to run the engine. I was not particularly adventuresome. Growing up in the hills of central Pennsylvania and working hard physically required lots of calories. We were largely meat and potatoes folk ... with an occasional infusion of excessive ice cream!

Then, when I taught in New Jersey, I picked up some part-time work with a gourmet catering service. We did weekend private parties in “The City” and in some pretty swanky Jersey burbs. We prepped our foods “in house,” then transported everything in warming ovens. Preparing these meals introduced me to some very extraordinary dishes, way above my pay grade.

Fast forward to a chance visit with local special foods place “Eventide” in Boothbay Harbor. Oh my goodness. And I was only looking to pick up a bottle of olive oil! Holy Guacamole Bat person! This place is well oiled! The old “Upstairs-Downstairs” bar and grill of years gone by has become the “Museum of Food.” There were beautiful metal olive oil containers as far as the eye could see, each with a unique quality and specific history.

And 700 different kinds of wine with names like Cotes du Rhone from France, and Owen Roe from Oregon. Even wines from Maine.

Kim, the owner, gave me a tour accompanied by interesting information about the amazing collection of foods. Kim’s mom, Mim, who spends a lot of time at Eventide, was close by during my visit, so I nabbed her for a mother-daughter photo. During my visit I discovered that Mim’s parents lived in Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, very near to where I grew up. Her father worked the mines there. It’s even quite possible that we worked the same seams of coal back in the day. The huge and varied world of food suddenly became more familiar.

If you have a spare moment, with a touch of curiosity and adventure in your taste buds, pop into Eventide. You can sample a lot of the food they make and sell for less than the cost of a smile. It is an unbelievable experience, and you will never think the same way about food, ever.

Editor’s note: This column has been corrected from its original posting.