Not-so-super markets

One might think that the best way to make and eat food that I actually desire would be to go to the store and get it myself.  This always seems like a good plan until implementation.  First of all, I’m pretty sure it’s only necessary to go to the store once or twice a week, if all members of my household can get organized enough to decide what they want and put it on a list.  There’s only four of us, usually three, so to me it makes sense.  Easier said than done, however,  but I eventually get my parents to decide on what the leftovers already in the fridge are being used for via a very, very circular discussion.  I know there’s an element of driving me crazy just for the sake of it, but how to remedy that I’m not sure.  Maybe I’ll do something crazy like move out in six months.

At any rate, I decided to make this pasta dish I’ve done once before (because the leftovers were, after all, claimed for other purposes), wrote down the ingredients and headed to my local grocery store.  It was upon entering said institution that I recalled my hatred for grocery shopping, especially here in town. Reasons below:

1. I hate shopping carts and think they should only be used when completely necessary.  My list was pretty short, so I grabbed a carry basket (or whatever they’re called) and set about my shopping.  Of course, I end up with more food than I can comfortably carry and spend a third of my trip looking foolish and frequently putting the basket down to rest my arms.  But I didn’t have to push one of those misaligned, big carts that don’t fit down the aisle when someone is coming up the other side.
2. Something happens to people when they enter grocery stores in general.  It seems the majority of them think they’re in a museum.  They’re wandering up and down the aisles, looking around as though they’re never seen food before.  Armed with my list and a sense of purpose, I like to get in and out of supermarkets as fast as possible.  Result: I’m annoyed with pretty much every other shopper.
3. In the defense of my dazed and confused co-shoppers, my supermarket is notorious for having a limited selection and discontinuing items with frustrating frequency.  So, as annoyed as I was, I too am standing at the meat display trying to determine if there’s any chance the supermarket carries ground sirloin (they didn’t).  The same applies to some varieties of pasta.   I understand that we live in a small town, but it’s frustrating.  And it adds to the general confusion and my specific frustration.

At any rate, I survived.  The point of all the foolishness of going to the supermarket is to get food and I did and I’m very excited about cooking it and having something yummy for lunch at school this week.  I also picked up the ingredients to make some black and white cookies with my sister that I can hopefully post the results of later.  Finally, I went to the library, where I do advocate browsing and taking one’s time, and checked out Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential which I am so excited to read.  Review to follow, of course.