When the manchild lived at home, I dreamed of a time I could
cut the exotic Indian or Moroccan recipes out of my Food Network magazine and
prepare them without preparing a second meal. I had visions of kale, spinach
and quinoa and halibut prepared in parchment paper. The manchild would have had
none of that.
So when he went to school, leaving us empty nesters, I began
cooking the types of food I only fantasized about. But, often times, I would
need an odd spice or ingredient, so I would find myself heading to my favorite
grocery store, Whole Foods.
I’d love to be one of those people who show up with their
piles of reusable grocery bags and do all my shopping there. But I’m not cool
enough, and I’m definitely not rich enough. I’ll go there for a few things, and
I’ll be damned if I don’t spend $100 every time!
My first stop is always produce. It’s a cornucopia of the
exotic and weird… not as much as it use to be, but still intriguing. My out of
control bill starts in this section as I pick up heirloom tomatoes, dozens of
shallots and maybe some lemongrass. I am hypnotized by the huge lemons, shiny
zucchini and Japanese eggplant.
Next is the oil and vinegar aisle: olive oil, extra virgin
olive oil, sherry vinegar, dark aged balsamic vinegar, grapeseed oil… my mind
is blown! I want one of everything. But
I settle for a balsamic glaze that will go nicely on my heirloom tomatoes
(always thinking!)
As my cart rounds the corner, I come up on the pasta and
rice aisle. I am lucky to make it out of this section with only a bottle of
organic pasta sauce and some Arborio rice.
And then I find the spice section. In it are spices I’ve only
read about, and they find their way into my cart: saffron, Herbs de Provence and the Indian spice
I came for, Garam Masala, which was the only thing I “needed.”
I manage to stay away from the other aisles, but around the
corner is the seafood section. There’s fish fillets, whole fish, Dungeness
crab, oysters and squid. I decide that little neck clams sound good and fresh
caught shrimp are on sale.
And then comes the bread and cheese section. I can’t leave
without a hunk of authentic Parmesan Reggiano and Chevre (goat cheese).
Uh Oh… there’s the salad and hot bar, and I’m starving. I
need a nice big salad for lunch and load up in my environmentally-friendly
to-go container.
Time to check out. Yes, the organic dark chocolate at the register
looks good, but I had a feeling my Whole Foods budget was blown.
I wasn’t wrong but I sure did enjoy the little neck clams
with a saffron broth!
