Monday, April 6, 2009

noms



Mike and I like to treat ourselves and go to Trader Joe's. We love the spicy exotic snacks, frozen desserts and the super cheap brie. They have decent six-packs of beer for $5 and I can get a gigantic bottle of Spanish extra virgin olive oil for under 8 bucks. In fact, most of their food is reasonably priced and high quality.

But the store always seems to be in more well-to-do neighborhoods and located in shopping plazas with crappy parking. The lots are full of fancy cars and pushy drivers who won't stop for pedestrians. Add into the mix that the store is tiny and crowded, its aisles are all at wonky angles, there are poorly behaved children ramming into things with miniature shopping carts and effete hipsters that will stand directly between you and the shelf you were looking at without apologizing. I'm also usually hungry, so needless to say, I tend to be a bit scowly in Trader Joe's. The prepackaged, microwaveable biryani is totally worth it though, and I suffer through. Besides, I always enjoy seeing the snootier customers stumbling all over each other for either a tiny cup of coffee or a free spoonful of say, mango chutney. Makes me laugh every time.

17 comments:

Robert Langham said...

Just think of the demographic you represent....and be proud!

Laura said...

i DO love TJ's, but i've turned my disdain for those people into a people-watching exercise. it makes our occasional trips that much more enjoyable.

Lydia said...

it's "those" people that make me refuse to shop there...after seeing 70 people in a line for a free cracker, I was done.

Joanna said...

I love that store, because it's the only place I can get triple-cream brie without taking out a loan. Heck, it's the only place I can get triple-cream brie period. I've never had issues with the other shoppers at the one in Castleton, although that may just be me -- I rarely have a quote-unquote "bad experience" when shopping anywhere.

WV: unpam, which sounds like a product at the aforementioned store.

jon spencer said...

Try the chili spiced (dried) mango.
A little heat and a lot of flavor.

breda said...

Jon - I love that! And did you know they have chocolate coated chili spiced mango now?

Assrot said...

What no bacon? Where's my damn bacon post?

:-)

Joe

drjim said...

Saw this over at Turk's place. Thanks you both for posting it.
Oh, the Trader Joe's "experience"? All you've said and more. Out here in SoCal you see some really hot chicks in beachwear strolling the aisles, TOTALLY oblivious to everyone else in the store.
Like, totally!

Longhornjeff said...

I assume you had your Bersa with you and..."Add into the mix that the store is tiny and crowded, its aisles are all at wonky angles, there are poorly behaved children ramming into things with miniature shopping carts and effete hipsters that will stand directly between you and the shelf you were looking at without apologizing. I'm also usually hungry, so needless to say, I tend to be a bit scowly ".

According to Paul Helmke there should be (Blood in the Streets tm) or at least "Blood in the Brie".

Im glad everyone made it out alive. There might have been several CCW permit holders in line for the mango chutney.

LonghornJeff

Captain said...

I really enjoyed the vid. What's with the wealthy demographic that buy 2 dollar beer and stand in line for a free chip? Then they buy expensive apples in a box of 4 and mango chutney? What gives Breda, we don't have a TJ here.

On a Wing and a Whim said...

I was just watching it all agog at the ridiculously low cost of food. I mean, seriously, I giggled, but the humor kept getting lost at "wait, only a dollar? What? The bananas were what a pound?"

One of the standard fun things to do with lower 48 houseguests is to take them grocery shopping and watch them recoil in horror at regular milk being $5 a gallon and everything else priced similarly - but I forgot that the other end of that hits just as hard.

Smokey Behr said...

I love TJ's, but like the song says, the popular stuff disappears really fast. You can't beat hitting TJ's for a quick, healthy lunch and a case of Two Buck Chuck, straight from the vineyards of Modesto, CA.

Caleb said...

I love Trader Joes. I love the food, the wine, and all the soccer moms in their yoga clothes.

All win, all the time.

Brad_in_MA said...

I go to TJ's which is on the MA side of the MA NH border. We don't have the bikini babes or soccer moms in yoga outfits. Nope . . . we've got the patchouli oil long hair dope smoking prius driving NH beatkik crowd at 'my' store. And due to a wacky MA law, no more than 3 stores in a grocery chain are allowed to sell beer & wine. My TJ's is not one of those . . . damned shame since two-buck chuck (actually $3 in MA) is a decent value.

- Brad

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The Old Man said...

I go to the Westlake TJ myself - a lot of the patrons would have to upgrade to be full azzoles, but the incidence of eye-candy is also high. The food? Lawsymercy, if y'all are a pair or a singleton, the convenience foods are plentiful and cheaper than McDeath. And they do have some very interesting beers. Some of which suck.
BTW - if you and Mike are in a traveling mood, go to Fathead's brewpub in North Olmsted. Opened Tuesday. If you like BBQ, it is a must-eat...

Ride Fast said...

Our local TJ's are great for Glenfiddich at $24 a bottle and frozen buffalo steaks.

Parking is so scary I won't park there even in the wifey's truck.

One used to be able to get your groceries and a dime bag of meth at the nearest one. The FBI broke that up and made BART cry.

Anonymous said...

Goodness, the snobbery in this post is unbelievable! You're accusing others of elitism? lol.