Gosh
– they sure don’t make supermarkets the way they used to. When I
was a little girl and dinosaurs roamed the earth, every Saturday
morning my mom allowed me to accompany her to the local market
where I sat in the grocery cart’s little kid seat way up high,
getting a bird’s eye view of Fritos and Ch
eese Doodles and other epicurean wonders that my mother would
never buy for me because I had to eat foods that helped me grow up
to be big and strong, which of course makes me wonder … I mean –
what was she thinking?
Gosh – they sure don’t make supermarkets the way they used to. When I was a little girl and dinosaurs roamed the earth, every Saturday morning my mom allowed me to accompany her to the local market where I sat in the grocery cart’s little kid seat way up high, getting a bird’s eye view of Fritos and Cheese Doodles and other epicurean wonders that my mother would never buy for me because I had to eat foods that helped me grow up to be big and strong, which of course makes me wonder … I mean – what was she thinking? I was a girl, for the love of God – I didn’t want to be “big and strong” when I grew up! Cute girls were tiny and petite. What was the deal with … well, ummm … excuse me, I see I’ve strayed off the subject a bit.
 But back in those golden-olden days, supermarkets were smaller and carried a modest supply of stuff you needed and bread cost about a dime and soup cost maybe 19 cents. The butcher usually knew you by name; our butcher actually handed us kids cold “franks” right out of the glass case on our weekly visits so we had something to chew on as we rolled about the store.
 Supermarkets where I grew up didn’t carry a lot of fresh produce in those days. Basics like ripe strawberries, corn on the cob, and watermelons were available in the summertime but only for a brief interlude, making them indescribably delicious. Meats weren’t fancy: pork chops, round steak, ground round, chicken, pot roast. Not much fish at the market (except for tuna in a can) because our dads fished in fresh-water lakes and brought home all the trout and catfish anybody could ever want.
 We bought cleaning products at the supermarkets, and they were pretty uncomplicated – scouring powder, liquid dish soap (nobody I knew had an automatic dishwasher), ammonia and granular “Vanish” for toilets were it for the most part. These days cleaning products take up entire aisles, and deciding on a kitchen counter cleaner is more complicated than voting for a president. And does anybody remember when grocery stores wrapped the “feminine hygiene products” (not that there were that many back then) in plain brown paper? I always wondered what kind of surprises were inside those anonymous boxes, and I envied my mom because she could buy herself a “present” whenever the mood struck her.
 So last December I was one happy camper when our fair city became home to a brand spanking new experience in supermarket shopping: Trader Joe’s because this market takes grocery shopping to a whole different level.
 Now don’t go to TJ’s if you’re in the mood for Twinkies because you won’t find them there. But if you want something fun, fresh, yummy and a bit out of the ordinary that won’t force you to mortgage the house – Trader Joe’s is the ticket. From fresh produce to wonderful cheeses, breads, sauces, meats, fish and desserts – they’ve got it. I guess you could say everything from soup to nuts turns up at Trader Joe’s at one time or another including “Two Buck Chuck” – red and white wines that … OK, I might not serve to a wine aficionado but will do the trick when added to sauces and marinades.
 TJ’s is 180 degrees removed from the big warehouse stores where the square footage approximates that of football fields or entire city blocks. I never fail to enter one of those massive warehouses for one item – one teeny item, mind you, like a sushi tray for instance – and finish with something like $300 less in my pocket when I walk back out. You buy huge quantities of the craziest stuff that you’ll never use and still swear you’re saving money. But here’s good news: we finally used the last teaspoon of soy sauce from the big, industrial-sized barrel that’s been in my fridge since approximately the Nixon administration. I mean, who knew when I walked into that big warehouse store that I was going to need 47 cookbooks and a new gas grill? And, frankly, I’m a little suspicious (contrary to his protests otherwise) that my spouse threw a set of golf clubs in the cart one time when I wasn’t looking.
 If you haven’t been to TJs yet because you think it’s for hippies or something (yes, I’ve actually heard that) – you’re really missing out because all kinds of “normal” folks shop at Trader Joe’s. However, if you’re hankering for a total “crunchy-granola” kind of experience, check out the Whole Foods Market chain, which has not made it to South County yet. Whole Foods is quite impressive. Natural and organic foods abound as does a blast from the past sort of “happening” as you mingle with folks wearing “Jesus shoes” and macrobiotic-type clothing that seems to have wafted right out of the ’60s. Here your friendly checker may sport a thinning head of hair drawn back in a long ponytail tied with a leather thong. If you want to have some fun, wander through a Whole Foods Market wearing a button announcing, “I voted for W: Twice,” and watch what happens. Hopefully you can run real fast. All sorts of folks shop at Whole Foods, including me now and then, whatever that’s worth.
 But what really gets me to remembering those long-ago visits to the market with my mom is a trip to Trader Joe’s. It’s a small-town kind of store with a homey feel that recalls a simpler time – with one important exception: they have the coolest stuff ever there. Is it great or what that we no longer have to drag all the way up to traffic-y old San Jose to explore the wondrous aisles of TJ’s? Sure, I still visit Nob Hill and Safeway – they have friendly, helpful folks there and things native to traditional grocery stores that you’ll only find at a well-stocked supermarket.
 So if you ask me (and I realize you haven’t), we have it pretty good around here because when you think about it, even the good old days can’t compare with the great foods and happy shopping at our own Trader Joe’s.
