ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602260091
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
SEN. JOHN WARNER came to Roanoke on Friday, ostensibly to talk about his re-election campaign. But he seemed more interested in shopping.
U.S. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., had one thing on his mind Friday, and it wasn't his re-election.
It was greens.
Collard greens, turnip greens, even mustard greens.
But most of all, Virginia's senior senator wanted to talk about field cress.
"I used to have this all over my farm," he said. "You can put it in an icebox, cook up a mess and nibble on it twice a week and keep away every disease known to mankind.
"Ever eaten field cress? A lot of people don't know what it is."
Warner's re-election may not be in the bag - he faces a stiff primary challenge in June from former federal Budget Director Jim Miller - but he had something else in the bag when he left Roanoke on Friday.
Groceries.
Warner brought the second day of his three-day re-election swing to the City Market, repeating the same speech he'd made the day before, emphasizing the independent streak that has often put him at odds with Republican activists.
Moments after he finished speaking, Warner once again showed his maverick nature - and disappeared.
Where did he go? To shake hands with voters, maybe?
Nope.
"He went to buy honey and molasses," said Warner's top aide, Susan Magill. "He says there's no other place to buy good molasses in Virginia except here and Boones Mill. I wouldn't know. I'm not a molasses girl."
For most politicians, a trip to the City Market is a photo op. For Warner, it's a chance to stock up. He routinely stages his Roanoke political events on the market and uses it as an opportunity to go shopping.
On Friday, with one aide trundling behind him carrying the senator's acquisitions and another persistently reminding him it was time to hit the road to his next stop, Warner methodically worked his way down the farmers' stalls.
The honey and molasses turned out to be just the start of his spree.
He plucked up a flower pot here - "I love primroses" - and a bag of corn meal there. "I fry my fish in that corn meal," he said.
He scooped up a half-dozen apples. "Feel this," he commanded. "It's shiny. It's home-grown. Not one of these things that come from the state of Washington."
Warner seemed to revel most in sorting through the produce. "Ahh! Mustard greens! Outstanding! Two-fifty? They're a giveaway at this price. And I'll have some collard greens. And throw some turnip greens in there, too. Stuff it down in there."
By the time he was done, Warner wound up with five full shopping bags. "There's nothing else like this in the state," Warner said. "They've got a little place in Alexandria where farmers come in, but after three hours they're gone."
And soon, so was he.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB