I recently strolled through a large Supermarket in Connecticut. I love to compare the ‘exotic’ items I find in other states with my local markets in Florida. I struggled to remind myself that food eaten for ‘research’ purposes [does it really taste as good as it looks?] still has calories. I was shocked and dismayed to learn many years ago that the surplus food you eat on vacation gets worn home as extra baggage in the rear.
I allowed myself to wander the forbidden outer aisle, “called the ‘racetrack’ by Liz Crawford, a consumer strategist who studies the way new products are marketed.” Having written about
grocery shopping in the past, I knew I was heading for trouble, but I was unable to stop myself. I worried a little as I wandered the dreaded perimeter “
where the shopper is encouraged to browse, and spend money on pricey cheeses or imported olives” that I would look like an amateur. Then I remembered Adam Roberts’ words from
The Amateur Gourmet about great chefs, slowly gathering what looks fresh, creating dazzling menus from the best of seasonal items and the well-stocked pantry came back to me.
I remembered that I was eating dinner at 6:00 p.m. and the menu was already chosen. Whichever two frozen entree’s my sweet old mother would find in her freezer, followed by instant coffee and two cookies.
My father would tell her it was the ‘best dinner he ever ate,’ like he does every night, and I would agree. That’s why we go home.
- Nancy
Don't forget we had some nice pizza too. Up here our supermarkets are heavily processed over priced food. It's not easy to buy whole foods such as the ones in Florida. But now you can have a service to direct you to healthy eating.