Grocery Shopping

[samhexum]

PeaPod deliveries are so erratic

 

I got fresh strawberries from Peapod Friday morning. I paid a little more than I wanted to, but at least they were big and looked yummy. They went right into my fridge. I went to have some this morning, almost exactly 48 hours after I’d put them in the fridge, and I bit into one… and found it frozen. As were the others. I had to leave them out on the counter for awhile. They must have been frozen with liquid nitrogen.

[mike carey]

There are a number of coffee vans around Canberra, they usually park at office buildings, set up at sporting and other outdoor events or even park by highways in and out of town. According to someone who rang the local ABC radio station, with the lack of any of its usual outdoor events, at least one of the vans has taken to driving around suburban streets with a loudspeaker the way ice cream vans do. Apparently some streets are quiet but the caller reported that on their street people flooded out of their houses of isolation to buy espresso coffees. Remembering how I jumped at the opportunity to buy a coffee on a trip to the shops after a few days in the house, it doesn't surprise me that a fair number of folk took advantage of the opportunity.

[KeepItReal]

I’ll stick with the recipe from the grande dame......(although it likely needs some “doctoring up“ / personalized tweaking)

 

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ruth-reichls-matzo-brei-109646

I should have known it would be just a matter of time before you foodies started swapping recipes!

[+ FrankR]

My neighbors ended up with too much celery. They ordered fresh produce from a restaurant; it had too much on hand and not enough business. Offered me some - made for a great cream of celery soup last night; made in the bread machine! (Yes, I cheat!) I returned the favor this morning by dropping off a bottle of home made ginger ale. Had to warn them - it has a kick!

 

[cany10011]

My neighbors ended up with too much celery. They ordered fresh produce from a restaurant; it had too much on hand and not enough business. Offered me some - made for a great cream of celery soup last night; made in the bread machine! (Yes, I cheat!) I returned the favor this morning by dropping off a bottle of home made ginger ale. Had to warn them - it has a kick!

 

Homemade ginger ale!! nice

[+ newatthis]

I was thinking about what shopping for groceries was like when I was a kid. There were unusual things or specialty items that you just couldn't get and you did without them. If you ran out of something, you didn't run out and buy it, you did without it until grocery day. If the store was out of what you wanted you just waited for it until they restocked it. I also remember that we had quite a few older neighbors who never shopped. They called the grocery store and placed an order by phone and it was delivered later that day. All the houses had those doors for delivery men to place stuff in. They called them "milk doors." Everything old is new again.

When I lived in Europe, the default was the opposite...you shopped more or less every day. Bread every day (there would be a line at the bakery around 12:30 of people picking up baguettes for the mid-day meal). Ditto for veggies. Maybe a little less often for meat or fish. Less frequently and in a big chain store for staples like toilet paper. This was 20 years ago; things might have changed since then.

[cany10011]

Since I'm spending most of my time indoors, i make my own breads: hokkaido milk bread, sourdough baguettes, and chinese mantous. Super yummy and fun. Have to keep trying on my slim jackets and pants to make sure they still fit. I rarely eat any type of bread before this pandemic and now i'm baking a lot, but also sharing with my neighbors. I do stay away from sweets though (used to make a lot of macarons and cakes) so that helps.

[MikeBiDude]

In those days Catholics were "required" to eat fish on Friday.

Required to abstain from meat/poultry, not “required” to eat fish. ?

[MikeBiDude]

I grew up in South Central Los Angeles during the 1950's. We had a milk door where the milk was delivered in reusable glass bottles. A Helm's Bakery truck drove by a couple of times a week. You could step into the truck which the driver operated standing up. The inside of the truck had numerous drawers filled with the most wonderful freshly baked items, including fantastic jelly filled doughnuts. On Thursdays the fish truck drove by so the Catholics in the neighborhood could purchase fish for Friday dinner. In those days Catholics were "required" to eat fish on Friday. We also had the "Good Humor" ice cream man drive by once or twice a week. He had a catchy tune played on a loudspeaker that immediately attracted all the kids in the area.

 

We kids played baseball in the street, we never locked our doors, and we played outdoors in the evening without any fear on our or our parents parts. In retrospect they were very wonderful carefree days. Maybe it's just because I'm getting old but I miss those days. It is just possible that the time for me to go is approaching.

The Good Humor truck and its music, searching or begging for a nickel, the sound of bare feet or flip flops slapping across the sidewalk! Good times in SoCal!

 

We also had the Helms bakery truck, @Epigonos I always wanted a cream puff! We also had a local vegetable truck too.

 

One childhood home I lived in had milk (eggs/OJ/more) delivery from Adohr farms. The milkman would come right into our unlocked home, a polite knock on the door and he’d call out “Adohr!” And proceed to the fridge(s) and stock them up. Even ice cream sometimes - held with dry ice in his truck.

[Epigonos]

MikeDiDude you are absolutely correct -- my error.

You would think I would have known this as I was raised a Catholic. My mother used to take a can of salmon and mix it with crushed salteen crackers and egg. She would then make salmon patties -- dear god I hated the damn things. To this day I can't abide salmon in any form.

[MikeBiDude]

MikeDiDude you are absolutely correct -- my error.

You would think I would have known this as I was raised a Catholic. My mother used to take a can of salmon and mix it with crushed salteen crackers and egg. She would then make salmon patties -- dear god I hated the damn things. To this day I can't abide salmon in any form.

My mom was an adequate but not creative cook at that point of my life....she became much better over the years! Friday menus:

• Tuna SOS
  
• Mac and Cheese
  
• Tuna casserole(s) many variety
  
• Campbell’s Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
   
  My grandfather was a butcher, my father apprenticed under him until he was 25. From the family’s Mexican heritage we didn’t like fish a lot! Like you @Epigonos I’m carnivore to this day.
  

[Rudynate]

When I lived in Europe, the default was the opposite...you shopped more or less every day. Bread every day (there would be a line at the bakery around 12:30 of people picking up baguettes for the mid-day meal). Ditto for veggies. Maybe a little less often for meat or fish. Less frequently and in a big chain store for staples like toilet paper. This was 20 years ago; things might have changed since then.

 

 

When I lived in Germany many years ago, I noticed that the kitchens in German homes were tiny - Small refrigerators, not much counter space, few cabinets. And they shopped for groceries frequently - not every day necessarily, but certainly several times a week. I always wondered which came first - did they have small kitchens because they did't believe in keeping a lot of food on hand or did they not keep a lot of food on hand because they had small kitchens.

 

A few years ago, my husband and I rented a condo in Rome for a couple weeks. The kitchen was absurdly small. We only fixed a couple meals there because the kitchen was so difficult to work in.

 

 

OTOH, I have been in a few homes in England and their kitchens seem to be scaled more like American kitchens.

[KeepItReal]

The Good Humor truck and its music, searching or begging for a nickel, the sound of bare feet or flip flops slapping across the sidewalk! Good times in SoCal!

 

We also had the Helms bakery truck, @Epigonos I always wanted a cream puff! We also had a local vegetable truck too.

 

One childhood home I lived in had milk (eggs/OJ/more) delivery from Adohr farms. The milkman would come right into our unlocked home, a polite knock on the door and he’d call out “Adohr!” And proceed to the fridge(s) and stock them up. Even ice cream sometimes - held with dry ice in his truck.

Wow! Suddenly I miss the days when we used to keep our doors unlocked. We weren't worried about theft because we didn't have any "stuff" we valued or perhaps of value! I've been watching the HBO show "Succession" available for free on the Roku channel - every time I watch an episode I am grateful for growing up frugal (and I want to take a shower from how yucky the show portrays those spoiled rich brats!)

[cany10011]

When I lived in Germany many years ago, I noticed that the kitchens in German homes were tiny - Small refrigerators, not much counter space, few cabinets. And they shopped for groceries frequently - not every day necessarily, but certainly several times a week. I always wondered which came first - did they have small kitchens because they did't believe in keeping a lot of food on hand or did they not keep a lot of food on hand because they had small kitchens.

 

A few years ago, my husband and I rented a condo in Rome for a couple weeks. The kitchen was absurdly small. We only fixed a couple meals there because the kitchen was so difficult to work in.

 

 

OTOH, I have been in a few homes in England and their kitchens seem to be scaled more like American kitchens.

 

My favorite part of HGTV international is listening to the American home seeker complain about how small the kitchen is and that they don‘t know what to do about Thanksgiving dinner. When I lived in Tokyo Midtown in fancy corporate housing, the oven was notoriously small that my friend had to debone the small turkey to squeeze it in. However, i love japanese kitchens as they have a special oven just to grill fish

[MikeBiDude]

A few years ago, my husband and I rented a condo in Rome for a couple weeks. The kitchen was absurdly small. We only fixed a couple meals there because the kitchen was so difficult to work in.

I had a similar experience in Florence. But there was a small grocery across the street with an amazing selection, and one major and one minor open air market within walking distance. I loved the challenge of the tiny fit one-person-only kitchen!

[KeepItReal]

My favorite part of HGTV international is listening to the American home seeker complain about how small the kitchen is and that they don‘t know what to do about Thanksgiving dinner. When I lived in Tokyo Midtown in fancy corporate housing, the oven was notoriously small that my friend had to debone the small turkey to squeeze it in. However, i love japanese kitchens as they have a special oven just to grill fish

If there is room for my George Forman grill and bread machine - the kitchen is big enough!

 

http://lamcdn.net/hopesandfears.com/post_image-image/z_x7RcU_P69I8zcB0Y9BZw-wide.gif

[handiacefailure]

My neighbors ended up with too much celery. They ordered fresh produce from a restaurant; it had too much on hand and not enough business. Offered me some - made for a great cream of celery soup last night; made in the bread machine! (Yes, I cheat!) I returned the favor this morning by dropping off a bottle of home made ginger ale. Had to warn them - it has a kick!

 

 

Homemade gingerale sounds good. Great you have neighbors like that. A friend of mine that goes to my church and lives in the building next door and I have been trading off food every saturday afternoon. Her printer died on her right after this stuff started happening so I print off the church bulletin for her and leave that along with leftovers of whatever I made that week (this week it was roasted red pepper soup and cookies) and I put it in front of my door and buzz her in and she leaves me a couple bowls of whatever soup she made that week and some baked stuff. Works out great because we make some recipes that have too much food for one person and swap out stuff so we have a variety of stuff to eat

 

I have to say my Vitamix sure is paying off.

[Epigonos]

I love to cook and I love to entertain thus, to my way of thinking, a kitchen cannot be too big. I would love a house with a separate walk-in pantry that had a second refrigerator, a separate stand alone freezer, a second dishwasher, a wine cabinet, a prep island with sink, and enough cabinet space for all of my various sets of dishes to serve thirty to forty guests.

My biggest expense in entertaining. Even in the current situation I'm cooking up a storm. I send all sorts of food to various friends. Thus far I have prepared New England Clam Chowder, party pizzas, curry chicken salad, Italian sausage and peppers, and sloppy joes. Next week it is my sister's recipe for Chile and my recipe for stuffed bell peppers. Maybe I'll even make an old fashioned pot roast. At least all of this cooking keeps my mind off the fact that I cannot TRAVEL.

[samhexum]

At least all of this cooking keeps my mind off the fact that I cannot TRAVEL.

 

No, but if you pack & ship it correctly, your food can. Do you have a website where we can place orders? :cool:

[Rudynate]

I had a similar experience in Florence. But there was a small grocery across the street with an amazing selection, and one major and one minor open air market within walking distance. I loved the challenge of the tiny fit one-person-only kitchen!

 

 

That's a much more constructive attitude than we had. We were similarly situated. Nice little grocery across the street and the Campo de Fiori was a short walk. One afternoon, I went in a meat market in the neighborhood. There was a big leg of something in the case and the women said it was "pig meat." It seemed way to red for pork, but I bought it anyway. She sliced us some nice cutlets and I took them home and sauteed them with wild mushrooms. Fabulous!!! Turns out it was wild boar.

[+ Charlie]

The city of Palm Springs yesterday imposed uniform restrictions on all grocery stores. People who do not wear face masks will not be served. A store with more than one entrance must use one as the only entrance and the other as the only exit. An employee must be stationed at each door to monitor how many people enter and exit; the store can contain no more than 40% of the legally allowed number of customers at any one time. Someone must clean each cart that enters the store. Aisles must be marked with one way directions, and distancing must be maintained as much as possible. Checkout stations must be marked with six foot divisions. Checkers must be masked and must be separated from the customer by a plexiglass shield (that is something that not all stores will be able to implement immediately).

 

This morning at 9:30 I stopped at Trader Joe's in Cathedral City--there is none in Palm Springs, so they don't have to follow PS rules--because I saw there were only three people on line to get in. Everything mentioned above was being done except the one way aisles, but I noticed that many customers were automatically lining up and moving along up one side of an aisle and down the other side of the aisle, which only creates distancing in one direction. However, it's a store that only has a couple of clearly defined aisles, so the one way designation would be very difficult to produce in the rest of the layout. It's also a rule that requires the shopper to plan ahead and know exactly where everything is in the store, so I think it may be the hardest one for customers to follow.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Charlie

[+ g56whiz]

In Western MA we had milk deliveries several times a week. When we went on long weekends my parents would often not tell the milkman. When we returned we'd have several quarts of sour milk. My mother would take them to the woman who lived behind us. She was from Poland and would give us one of the very rich chocolate cakes she'd make with that sour milk. YUM!

 

If I remember correctly, Mr. Archbault would periodically deliver laundry or dry cleaning.

 

When we moved to the suburbs a farmer would come around weekly to empty the in ground garbage pail beside the back door to feed his pigs. I wonder what happened to those pigs when we finally installed a garbage disposer.

[Rudynate]

Ret

[Rudynate]

In Western MA we had milk deliveries several times a week. When we went on long weekends my parents would often not tell the milkman. When we returned we'd have several quarts of sour milk. My mother would take them to the woman who lived behind us. She was from Poland and would give us one of the very rich chocolate cakes she'd make with that sour milk. YUM!

 

If I remember correctly, Mr. Archbault would periodically deliver laundry or dry cleaning.

 

When we moved to the suburbs a farmer would come around weekly to empty the in ground garbage pail beside the back door to feed his pigs. I wonder what happened to those pigs when we finally installed a garbage disposer.

 

 

A lot of retailers delivered, and they didn't charge. I seem to remember that they started charging when the price of oil skyrocketed in the 70s

[mike carey]

You would think I would have known this as I was raised a Catholic. My mother used to take a can of salmon and mix it with crushed salteen crackers and egg. She would then make salmon patties -- dear god I hated the damn things. To this day I can't abide salmon in any form.

You've reminded me of one of my childhood meals, salmon pie, which I now feel compelled to make. Cooked rice, a can of salmon (or tuna) and cooked peas, all in an oven-proof dish topped with grated cheddar cheese, in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Possibly with a finely chopped onion in the salmon and rice mixture. Thinking about it, adding a cheesy white sauce to the mixture would be good.