4/28/98: Slept in, stayed in bed even longer reading some more. Went grocery shopping. We’re gonna stay a few more days…
4/28/32: The small-town, suburban and urban neighborhood grocery stores that existed when I was a kid, are long gone. Grocery shopping in a big city in the US is designed to appear supremely efficient and cost effective for the consumer. Big box stores (the local chains as well as the membership-only stores) draw customers by being one-stop-shops offering too many items to even count, and by hooking customers with loss-leader products that obscure pain of the profit-making impulse buy items. But this version of capitalism is an illusion that makes some very rich, and leaves some in urban food deserts.
That family-owned, specialty-store model still exists in other parts of the world, including many towns and cities of Europe. It was one of the most delightful parts of our trip, really. We stayed in most locations over the course of the year for 1-2 weeks, and always opted for doing our own shopping and cooking. Stopping in at the fruiterer, the bakery, butcher or fish-monger’s shops was a far more relaxing and enjoyable process. It meant we got to meet people and build friendly relationships through asking questions about items we needed, or what was freshest or sweetest that day. It was less efficient, but more healthy emotionally, mentally and even physically.
I don’t know if there is a way to reverse course from the big-box-store model and return to the mom-and-pop-shops that once were common even here in Chicago. But if you know of any specialty shops that still exist, or if there is a farmer’s market that pops up near you on a regular schedule, it’s worth it to shop local, eat fresher, and get to know people!
