Inflation coming for Costco tube steaks? | Columnists

Some things are sacred. Count the $1.50 hot dog at Costco as one of them. It’s often a nice and affordable reward for shopping in one of the cavernous outlet stores where excess inventory and overwhelming quantities of everything from toothpaste to Cheerios are king.
This beloved tube steak (accompanied by a soft drink of your choice) has been a popular gourmet offering at the big-box discounter for as long as devoted fast-fooders can remember. You know who you are.
The low-cost sausage, with all the fixings, has been particularly well received as inflation rages in this great country. We’re truly blessed here in San Mateo County with a grand total of four bustling Costco outlets, two of them in South San Francisco (such a glut in a city is a notable plus for the Chamber of Commerce there) and one each in Foster City and Sequoia City.
But followers of these popular shopping sites were shocked last week when a rumor surfaced on Twitter alleging the price of the $1.50 frankfurter was to be raised to $2.50.
There was instant outrage. Costco stock price plummeted around the same time the “news” broke in cyberspace. It could have been a coincidence, of course, since Wall Street has seen a steep and worrying decline this month.
Nonetheless, Costco officials quickly quashed the bogus report, promising that the cost of the in-store menu specialty would stay the same, regardless of pressure from inflation or anything else.
Things have calmed down. People relaxed. Visions of large amounts of mustard and relish returned. But a lesson has been learned: don’t mess with a culinary tradition.
A SOLEMN EVENT ON REMEMBRANCE DAY: It’s a San Mateo County Memorial Day tradition now in its 81st year.
Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno will once again be the site of a solemn celebration of the military veterans who have been buried there over the decades. A concert will begin at 10:30 a.m.; the main program will start at 11 a.m.
There will be several speeches, a wreath presentation and Coast Guard flyover to highlight the morning’s schedule, all hosted by the Avenue of Flags Committee.
The cemetery, home to 145,000 veterans, is located at 1300 Sneath Lane off El Camino Real. For more information, call (650) 589-7737.
NANCY JEWELL CROSS PACKAGES: Decades ago, Nancy Jewell Cross became something of an eccentric legend along the peninsula.
A tireless advocate for various causes, she has filed countless lawsuits in local courts. It has become the scourge of bureaucrats and elected officials, not to mention those tied to the justice system. Most of his litigation did not bear fruit. But she persisted into her golden years.
She also ran unsuccessfully for public office here, including self-appointed candidacies for state attorney general and seats in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.
Years later, she moved to East Bay. Finally, she ran out of time. She died last March in San Francisco. She was 101 years old.
FIT BAD BOY? NOT EVEN CLOSED: This lovely piece of enticing spam was sent to our voluminous email account last week: “Male Escort – High paying job for bad fit boy. Urgent need.” Needless to say, someone out there in the electronic ether clearly has the wrong address. “Bad boy shape?” Not even close. More like, “Flabby fat guy.” Urgent? Good luck with that.
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULDN’T: The Caltrain Twitter account is accurate, informative, current and very helpful. It’s also creative. Last Tuesday, the account manager let us know that Caltrain SB 658 “is having trouble at MVW (Mountain View)”. The immediate mental image of a failing locomotive trying pathetically to somehow function was almost sad.
FIGHT THE LUCK IN BRISBANE: I love the stated motto of Brisbane’s Fire in the Ring youth boxing club: “Give kids a fighting chance, one round at a time.” The amateur boxing facility is located at 180 Industrial Way in this North County village.
John Horgan, whose boxing career in the San Mateo neighborhood as a pre-teen was short-lived, forgettable and winless, can be reached by email at [email protected].