Monday, April 14, 2008

Grocery shopping in the city

I seriously just spent $50 on one bag of groceries and I thought that was an urban myth.

Grocery stores in the city are a joke. They are smaller than Rite-Aids and convenient stores in a normal city. I understand the lack of space in the city, but this is recockulous. They are usually no larger than 4 aisles wide and the shelves are filled to the brim with more crap than you can imagine. Everything is so close that it is hard to decipher the difference between anything on the shelf. Not to mention, most of it is weird ethnic food that I have never heard of and that in New Orleans you would have to go to a specialty store to acquire (I'm talking everything from kosher food to Cuban rice). I remember my first time grocery shopping in Brooklyn and literally breaking down in tears while I was on the phone with my mother because I could not figure out which salad dressing I wanted (Yes, I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I had just moved 1,200 miles away from home into this strange land but I can attest that the grocery store did not help matters). It drives me crazy!! I did find a regular sized store (that isn't a Whole Foods, mind you. I will NOT be falling into that sad trend anytime soon) but it was in Brooklyn and I don't see any regular sizes stores in The Heights (if you are aware of one, please let me know asap- my sanity relies on it).

I've also come to the realization that shopping for groceries is going to have to become an every week type thing, unlike the rest of my adult days when I could go shopping once a month. It's just too hard toting a month's worth of food 2 blocks away and on my bank account apparently.

The upside to this is everything is fresh; the downside is I don't cook so that does ditty for me. Maybe it's time to learn?

7 comments:

Eastcoastdweller said...

By all means, N.Q., learn to cook and learn to enjoy "weird ethnic food."

Both are some of my greatest pleasures in life, whether making a big, steamy pot of soup, a savory meatloaf or a loaf of bread.

Start small, with simple dishes. Try out a few fun recipes from a good cookbook or a magazine. Never stress over it. In everything except baking and candy-making, You don't need to stress over absolute exactness, just go by intuition.

.Nicotine.Queen. said...

Ok. let me tell you a secret: I am the pickiest eater on the planet next to my brother (who is 23 and only eats meat and potatoes. seriously). I don't know what Goya is and nor do I want to.

And cooking takes too much time and I am also the laziest person on the planet. If it does not come in a box that I can throw in the oven or pan, then Im not going to do it. And the closest I'm going to get to mixing ingredients is putting sauce on pasta.

Cooking takes up too much time I could be sleeping or smoking.

Eastcoastdweller said...

True it is, Nicotine Queen, that this would be a boring world if we all liked to do the same things.

I like cooking but there is nothing wrong with someone else who doesn't.

I like anything remotely edible, except aspic -- I've dined on dandelions, blood sausage, chicken feet soup, cactus pads, squirrels, minced cow tongue and goose liver, but that's just me.

And You will relax and sip beautifully from a luxury cigarette whilst Your box dinner warms in the microwave, and all will be well in the world.

Andie said...

I say learn how to cook a few basics from stuff that is pre-packaged.

and whole foods isn't the devil if you know how to shop it!!!

seriously.

what do you want to learn how to cook? I know some super easy peasy stuff I could teach you! like, open the jar, boil some noodles, drain noodles, add sauce.

or saute onions, carrots and celery. get a rotisserie chicken. shred some of the chicken, put to the side. add 2 boxes of chicken stock to onions, carrots, and celery. Season with salt & pepper, and tony's. bring to a boil. add noodles and chicken. cook till noodles are tender.

Voila! chicken noodle soup.

or you can take some of your leftover rotisserie chicken, shred it, add it to a tortilla with cheese and voila. quesadilla....

add some precut veggies to some scrambled eggs and bake- frittata.

Since you're by yourself- you could make a whole dish of pasta marinara and eat off it all week!

did that help?

regards, your personal stylist and chef to the rescue.

.Nicotine.Queen. said...

I. dont. eat. veggies.

But the quesadilla is a possibility.

The Ambiguous Blob said...

ish- this is making me nervous. I can't ever go to NY.

.Nicotine.Queen. said...

It's not that bad I promise!!