Publix No Longer Offers You That Free Slice Of Meat At The Deli Counter

ST. PETERSBURG — The dance is not complicated.

You go to your neighborhood Publix. You say, "One pound of Boar's Head tavern ham, sliced thin." The person in the hairnet unwraps the mighty pink hemisphere, hefts it bouncily onto the stainless steel slicer and cleaves 1 millimeter, the swath falling neatly onto a plastic deli sheet.

"Is this about right?" she asks. You take it into your palm, scrutinize. Maybe it's thin enough to read through, maybe it's just right. But if you're hungry, you say, "A little thinner."

You have just scored your second free piece of tavern ham.

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