There was a happening in Davis today. We've had strange celebrations for strange happenings (the weirdest being the party held on the new overpass, when the band from the university came to play and all the local politicos came to cut the ribbon).
It came with ribbons. It came with tags. It came with packages, boxes and bags. It came with leis and free cookies. It came with meatballs and free coffee.
It was the opening of the long-awaited (at least a decade) Trader Joe's.
Now the last time I wrote about Trader Joe's I got a lot of e-mail telling me all the reasons why TJs was an awful, bad, place, but I wanted to be part of the happening and enjoy the moment. So, apparently, did a lot of other people.
All the aisles were packed like this, but I expected nothing less. But having to move very sowly through the aisles allowed me more time to find interesting things I might have otherwise overlooked.
(I'm trying to envision how one extracts pomegranate seeds and coats them in chocolate!)
I absolutely LOVED the fact that their sample section (where we tried delicious BBQ meat balls and some pretty good Hawaiian coffee) is decorated with the Varsity Theatre marquee (our kids worked, played and performed at the Varsity for years).
And, of course, we had to buy a bottle of the famous "Two Buck Chuck."
Of course a lot of prices are pretty high, so I may not be shopping at Trader Joe's often.
But I did find a lot of interesting things that will make a good main course for two people. Tonight, for example, we're having Mediterranean stuffed chicken breasts (with feta and mozarella). I also have some pulled pork and a spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) which will serve two nicely. I also found affordable ahi tuna, which I have never come across before. And finally, after all these years, I'll get to taste Abelskivers (Danish pancakes which are ball shape instead of flat), which I've heard about for years but have never had an opportunity to have for breakfast, since I don't own an Abelskiver pan. Tomorrow, I will finally give them a try.
I think I'm going to have fun getting to know my way around this store.
2 comments:
The first Costco in our area opened last week. We've joined, but are going to shop for the first time on Tuesday. 8^)
Now if we ONLY had a Trader Joe's.
I think you'll like Trader Joe's. I can't do all my shopping there, but some products simply can't be found elsewhere.
Sweet potato chips, competitively priced with all the other chips. TJ's corn salsa -- try a teaspoon in something you'd make with mayonnaise. The best frozen whole grain waffles.
Our store has samples of something every day. That's how I found good frozen potato latkes, excellent for Hanukkah (though I still make homemade applesauce...)
Post a Comment