Michael and I love grocery stores when we're traveling. In a foreign country they are an absolute window into the soul of the people but even in America, you have a lot of fun looking at all the different products and inexplicable differences. In Utah, for example, margarine boxes are the same size but the sticks are a different shape. (Think fat quarters if you're a quilter.) Why?
Today my next door neighbor, T., took me to a huge market that had an infinite variety of items I'd never seen before. Michael and I will have to go on a date there just for the amusement value. Here are two items I had to buy. The soup mix is an incredible bargain. I just cut up the vegetables, added a can of seasoned tomatoes, a potato and a piece of bacon and voila, soup! The soda had the cheesiest label I've seen in a long time. Looks like something from the fifties. Come to find out, the cream soda comes from the Crystal Soda Water Company in Scranton. We'll see if Michael likes it. I'm not a cream soda fan myself and far too many cream sodas today have caffeine. But this one advertises its caffeine-freeness. I also bought Pennsylvania (not Idaho!) potatoes, bread from local bakeries and lots of really cheap produce. According to T., they have the best meat because they do all their own meat-cutting and have all sorts of interesting cuts of pork and lots of deli meats. You have to take a number at the huge meat counter. She gave me the full tour and explained things like "porketta" which is a hunk of pork rolled in seasoning. It was impossible to see everything so I'll definitely go back to scout out new and interesting things.
Not only did I get to find a new supermarket, I got to spend time listening to T's stories. Michael got to meet her last night and we agree. Like Peppermint Patty, she's a rare gem.
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