My Obsession with Trader Joe's and Grocery Stores

There was once a time in my life when shoes, clothes and pocketbooks were the staples of weekly shopping. What do you expect when you work in retail and get a discount at all the brands your company owns? For 5 long years, never moving up the retail ladder, staying on the 5th rung, I worked and shopped my paycheck away. My husband would be furious about all the bags brought home and my reply with loving eyes was, “But, Baby! It was on SALE!”

Ever seen, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”? Well, if I lived in NY and could have afforded Prada and Gucci that would be my story. But, I live in NC and could only afford Gap and Old Navy. I got a 30 % discount at Banana Republic, but even I knew that it was too expensive.


So, the time came when my husband and I had a child and I could no longer afford to shop like I did before. Somewhere, between my first and second child, I no longer cared about fashion. It was food! I love to browse the aisles of the grocery store, searching for new products and ingredients to cook with. It was also justifiable with my husband, we could eat the food not the clothes and pocketbooks.


As a small-town country girl, my first love with a food store was A Southern Season in Chapel Hill. My BFF went to college at UNC and one night she took me there. (Awesome!) I loved it! Then we ate at Mama Dip’s Kitchen. If you love country cooking, eat there! Anyway, I love to go to grocery store with sales papers, coupons and grocery lists in hand. Then I learned how to love cooking with my new finds. Which brings me to my new favorite store……let me go ahead and admit that I sometimes drive to Charlotte for produce.

Trader Joe’s – it’s a organic/non-uppity grocery store that sells food at crazy good prices, while the employees wear Hawaiian shirts. My kind of store! Now, let me warn you…they don’t carry your typical items/food brands: Kraft, Oscar Meyer, Dunkin Hines or the like. Just their private label organic foods and some name-brand soy, rice or whatever else they can get milk out of now. Now the produce section is the BOMB! I turn around in a grocery store if their produce doesn’t look good. Hence the reason I no longer shop at Wal-Mart for food.


So, yesterday, I was at the outlet mall in Concord with my family and headed south a few exits to the TJ’s to pick up some items for dinner tonight. I’m cooking for Jelly & Kake. (They’re my friends-kind of like Brad & Angelina are known as Bradgelina, Kelly & Jake are known as Jelly & Kake.) Okay, so I’m in TJ’s (which has an awesome wine section) to pick up a bottle of Madeira wine for the Chicken a L’orange tonight. I stop by the produce area to pick up a guacamole kit for my husband. So, I pick up my guacamole kit, salad mix and see it... Brussels Sprouts on a freaking stalk! Beside it a giant “Hurry Up & Get these Brussels Sprouts on a Stalk-Limited Supply-Only $3.99”. Did I know they grew like this? NO. I’m still trying to figure out about the way cranberries grow, but whatever. Okay, just googled it and now I know. I’m now enlightened.


Armed with my giant stalk of Brussels and other food items, I return home triumphant. Then I think-“I’ve only cooked with them from a frozen state. Oh, thank God for Julia Child! She’ll tell me how to prepare them fresh.” I sure hope that Jelly & Kake like Brussels.