ODE TO MINI-MANDOLINE

Just thought I'd take a moment to talk about how much fun kitchen tools can be. This mini-mandoline, from a Japanese dollar store in San Francisco, is a perfect example. This is something I didn't (and still don't) expect years of life from, but it's just so darn cute, and for the 99 cents I think I paid for it, it's a bargain.
I don't really use it for slicing grape tomatoes (which, at the moment, it is too dull to do a good job of) but for salads it's a dream gizmo. My sister makes fun of the itsy bitsy vegetables in my salads, and many of them got that way with this mandoline. It's not adjustable like my large one, but if you can get used to the size slice it produces (almost paper-thin, but not quite), it's great for Persian (seedless) cucumbers and for carrots and celery. I love how it almost turns celery into a vegetable that functions as an herb, since the slices are so small and thin the aroma and taste permeate every bite of the salad.