No, not tuberculosis (The other name for consumption in the 19th century when it seemed to hit everyone, real and fictional, including Shelley, Chopin, and Modigliani).
This was the fun consumption, the gluttonous
kind. I took myself to Aldi, the German discount supermarket. It was time,
after my last trip to my local grocery store when a box of Rice Krispies for nine
dollars almost did me in.
You need to have your quarter ready
when you approach Aldi's if you plan to use a carriage. With it, you unlock
your cart from the others it’s chained to, something I have 50/50 success with.
I try to lurk a bit outside for anyone who might be parking theirs. I hand them
my quarter, they give me their carriage, and everyone’s happy.
Inside, it takes me back to my foraging
ancestors. The inventory is hit or miss, so to get a good deal it takes
flexibility and an encyclopedic knowledge of what things cost at your usual
store. Plus, you rarely see a name brand. A friend had revealed that the Aldi
house brand of wheat crackers are just the same as Nabisco’s Wheat Thins, so
score one there. And for me, tomato paste is tomato paste - win.
The carnivore portion of the trip was
the main triumph. That same friend thought their fish was fine, so rainbow
trout and salmon fillets went into the cart. Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, a
small ham. The biggest excitement was finding ground lamb, which basically costs
the same as a car payment at my home store. One pound, vacuum sealed, six
dollars.
Yes, I had to bag my own groceries,
and no, I couldn’t do all my shopping there. I went local for produce, paper
goods and ice cream (although I scored big at Aldi’s on cantaloupe and
avocadoes).
Aldi is an interesting shop. Their prices are often excellent and mostly their quality is good. Our cats have always flatly refused their pet food though.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to one and need to find out if there are any nearby. Yes, the price of some of my favorite foods has become astronomical!
ReplyDeleteI have been to our Aldi store only three times. They advertise "specials" which are always sold out by the time I get there and they are always a "one day only" special. The only time I bought anything was when I got my "Day of the Dead" statues and some fluffy hand towels to wrap each one in for the bus trip home.
ReplyDeleteWe have 3.5 grocery stores in town. I shop at the most expensive bc I can't stand WM and I don't like the feeling of the third one. I do stop at the .5 store (called Giant Tiger) for a few more bargain commodities.
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