Thursday, June 22, 2006

Misadventures In Grocery Shopping

The grocery situation at my house can only be described as dire. I can't remember the last time I bought groceries in anticipation of actually eating a meal in my own home. Over the last week I can recall at least five trips to various wine shops and only one trip to a grocery store -- to purchase a frozen pizza.

I actually really love to cook. If you click on my profile thingy (or "jank," in Norfolkian teenage parlance) you will find "cooking" listed as one of my interests. But I've been busy lately and haven't done much cooking. Or grocery shopping.

A quick inventory this morning made it clear that I could no longer avoid the grocery store. My fridge contained the following: 1 can of Whole Foods Brand All Natural Ginger Ale (for mixing with bourbon), 12 bottles of Hoegaarden, half an orange's worth of orange wedges (for dropping into the Hoegaarden), 1 free range organic egg, and an almost empty jar of pasta sauce. The pantry is just as bare. This morning I actually stirred brown sugar into my tea, as I've been out of regular sugar for weeks.

It's not that I can't afford to buy groceries. I just don't feel like it.

So I lay around all day knowing that I had to go to the grocery store but never quite getting the urge to do so. Around 8 pm I finally set down my book and dragged myself off the couch to do the dreaded grocery shopping. There are two grocery stores within walking distance of my house, and I debated which one to go to. Gene Walters is slightly closer, it's generally cheaper, and it has a great wine selection (not that I needed wine). However, its produce and seafood departments suck, and some of its employees are a bit dodgy. Harris Teeter is a few blocks farther and a few cents more expensive, but they offer free cookies to kids of all ages. Also, their organic milk is significantly cheaper than the organic milk at Gene Walters -- economies of scale or some shit. Since milk was on my list, I opted for Harris Teeter.

What I didn't count on was finding my ex's car (SUV, actually) parked outside Harris Teeter and having to back-track to Gene Walters to avoid him. Seriously, I spend the whole day (while he's presumably at work) not grocery shopping, and when I finally decide to go to the store, that store, he's also grocery shopping there? Does god hate me or something?

Yes, I think perhaps god does hate me. Because a half gallon of organic milk at Gene Walters was a whopping $4.39, and I know at Harris Teeter it's only $3.19.

Thanks, Dave.

6 comments:

wonderturtle said...

My ex shops at my Trader Joe's! It is somewhat unnerving, especially the time I got a flat tire in their parking lot.

lulu said...

Several of my students work at mt Whole Foods, and I always seem to see them when I have a cart full of liquor, or nothing but ice cream and chips.

It is hard to maintain my serious persona when they know I'm a cookie snarfing lush.

vikkitikkitavi said...

I switched from Ralph's to Von's, and now I love grocery shopping. I never realized how much the heinousness of Ralph's was contributing to my dread of the errand.

But I don't understand why the ex must be avoided. Fuck him. It's your fucking grocery store. Let him go somewhere else!

Megan said...

I considered that, but I wasn't up for his cheerful obliviousness to the fact that he's an ass. Next time.

Anonymous said...

Now, if it were me, I would have gone into the Harris Teeters BUT I would have used the in-store video surveillance system that shows you who is around the corner to make sure the coast was clear.
I'm not paranoid or anything.

Megan said...

I can totally see you doing that, Patrick. Next time I need to do some grocery shopping I'm taking you with me to monitor the cameras.