It’s the one chore I really, really can’t stand, for multiple reasons.
1) It’s hard to come up with what I want to eat each week and not get bored or overcomplicate my life on weeknights when I’m slammed at work.
2) I hate other people at the grocery store. It’s my least favorite interaction with humanity. And it doesn’t matter what time of day I go to the store. Why?
a) Men. First, if you go on like, Saturday afternoon, there’s all these stupid men at the store. Don’t get me wrong. I love men generally. They’re great husbands, friends, colleagues, students, etc. I’m a big fan of men. But not at the grocery store. They seem to have no clue where anything is, they take 1900 times longer to get, say, a dozen eggs or a gallon of milk than I, the practiced grocery store goer, do. Forgive me if I’m just reinforcing gender roles here, but they make me crazy. Just pick something. Get it over with.
b) Women. (See, I’m equal opportunity). It’s really just women who buy terrible packaged food and are in front of me in line buying 9 million lean cuisines and frozen people. HOW DO PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS???
c) Couples. Oh, isn’t it cute! You haven’t been dating/married to your significant other since time immemorial and you still go to the grocery store and help each other! And giggle and hold hands! I HATE YOU. When my husband comes to the grocery store with me, I’m pretty sure he feels useless because I have it down to a science. I NEED NO ONE. I SHOP ALONE.
d) Old people. They’re slow and they have coupons. ENOUGH SAID.
I feel so much better having gotten that off my chest.
So I have attempted to make grocery shopping less onerous, but it still is. The alternative is to go to 9 trillion other places to get food (farms for meat, get milk delivered, join a CSA, etc) but I still need to go to the grocery store. And I have attempted to make planning the weekly menu easier by using Google Reader and tagging everything I want to make in a “Recipe Box” tag. It still stinks.
I’d also like to point out that I am a huge hypocrite and break all of my own grocery store rules. I compare prices and nutrition information. I sent my husband into the store last night to buy frozen pizza and ice cream sandwiches. Look, most super judgmental people are the most critical of myself. Which is why I super hate going to the grocery store, because not only in the end am I annoyed with humanity, I also am supremely annoyed with myself.
So, off to the grocery store. I’ll be the pushy annoying woman giving you dirty looks in the store. You know who she is.
i love the grocery store. a thermos of white wine a head full of music and you got yourself a relaxing hour where you think of everything you’re about to create and consume.
check out the amish market outside of burtonsville, md and the fish market underneath 395 on the SW waterfront if you’re tryna shake shake shake shake shake
mjs
I love the grocery store, but I suspect that I am the type of man that you hate at the store. Unless I’m with Jackie (who has grocery shopping down to a science and whips me into shape when we shop together), I wander somewhat aimlessly from aisle to aisle and then back to the first aisle until my hand cart is full, which is the official signal that I have everything that I need. Then, ooops, I forgot paper towels, which won’t fit in my hand cart, so I have to go get a push cart. I love looking at all of the stuff and thinking about what we can make. Plus, grocery shopping makes for great people watching. My issue with grocery shopping is that there are waaaaaay too many options. Who needs 85 different kinds of oatmeal and 24 varieties of men’s body wash??? Just give me some Quaker quick oats and a bar of Dial and let’s call it a day!!
I love grocery shopping – but I am jealous of your organization and efficiency! I never, ever take my husband though…and when I have kids, I will never take them either if at all possible.
Zaza is a must. Inexpensive , the food is fabulous and dined at by many ceebls (See the wall inside.) It’s by Mercato Centrale. For cheaper eats, try Il Pirata on Via Dei Ginori (near the corner of Via Guelfa). It’s a little deli right across from the apt I lived in and I think I single-handedly kept that man in business. Try the pesto lasagna! Buon appetito!
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I hate the music they play most of all. They try to make you pretend your in a magical wonderland by playing garbage pop bands. I can’t function when they play trash like that. The last thing I want to hear when I’m thinking about how poor and hungry I am is smashmouth. Of course I cannot hide the disgusting feelings inside when I hear grocery store music so everybody thinks I’m nuts because I carry an immense frown on my face. The human race disgusts me.
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