As a former city dweller I find the
the idea of driving miles to a Costco
and stocking up simply baffling.
Unlike times past - there's no doubt
that we have room to store a pallet
of peanut butter. However I lack the
discipline to procure, maintain, and
monitor an inventory of epicurean
bargains. In addition I can't help but
consider planning a month's menus
anything but daunting. Thus in the
event of a nuclear holocaust, it's
likely my larder may be lacking.
Don't get me wrong. I'm more than
willing to stock up on certain stuffs.
Believers in vino veritas - we must
confess to sizable stocks on hand.
And unlike foodstuffs - said vintages
only get better with age. In addition
our liquor cabinet is amply stocked
with at least two back up bottles of
popular distilled varieties. Plus a
stash of cherries, olives, and other
necessities. Therefore if the Volstead
Act is reinstated, we'll survive any
dry spell more than well lubricated.
The fact is we're not going to starve.
Within our fairly ample cupboards is
a plethora of the things we deem to be
necessities - anchovies, capers, pasta,
brown rice, and the requisite canned
tomatoes and stock. Plus an ample
supply of life's elixir - i.e. several big
bottles of extra virgin, cold pressed
ITALIAN olive oil. Meanwhile my
newfound freezer friend is packed
with protein just waiting to be braised,
grilled, or roasted. So at least in theory
we've got our consumption covered.
Somehow I end up at our grocer daily.
It's obvious that the staff consider me
an odd duck. In a ranching community
where most travel monthly to stock up,
my constant shopping is if nothing else
an anomaly. Given we have only one
supermarket it is in essence our town
square. Therefore my daily sojourns
should provide ample opportunities
to meet and greet. However as a true
urbanite, I blithely walk past people
I know. You see, I'm a man with a
mission! And you are not on my list!
After almost a year of cooking every
night, I continue to find the task of
constant cookery daunting. Back in
Manhattan we dined out frequently.
Hence my limited recipe repertoire
was more than enough to satisfy our
appetites. However now that I'm in
essence chief cook and bottle washer -
finding something new to put out on
the table is a daily challenge. Given
I've never been one to plan, I prefer
to keep things fresh. Which requires
frequent forays out for foodstuffs.
In the end fueling the beast gets a little
boring. Thus it's easy to complain about
our grocer. However the truth is I can
buy just about anything I want. Fresh
produce is sadly where our options are
most limited. But in truth, we've got the
same assortment as most major suburban
markets. In the old days I could run into
Dean and Delucca, Citarella, or the tiny
Amish Market and pick up some fresh
rabbit. However at D'Ags or the Food
Emporium - my choices were basically
the same as Lewistown's - BORING!
The fact is everything in our country
has become rather homogenized.
Hence local color is faded at best.
Across this nation everything has
become almost exactly the same. So
while my fellow Central Montanans
grouse about their grocery store - it's
really not that different than anywhere
else. Meaning that even if one visits
the supermarket daily, chances are
you'll find little to nothing new or
surprising. Which bodes the question -
what will I make for dinner tonight?