Iowa's Grocer
Hy-Vee in Indianola
WEST BURLINGTON, IA - When a person gets ready to leave a place, he begins to take note of the things he'll miss after he is gone. Hy-Vee, the Iowa-based supermarket chain, definitely falls into that category for me. It may look just like the big chain grocery store where you live - Jewel, Stop & Shop, Food Emporium, or Roche Bros., to name a few - but I have come to believe that Hy-Vee is somehow different.
When you travel, a grocery store is a safe haven.
You walk into a grocery store and see the food products you eat every day, it's
like you've stopped in to see old friends. There's tangible comfort in the
knowledge that, wherever you are in this country, your next Coke or Twinkie is
as close as the nearest supermarket. Hy-Vee's motto is, "A helpful smile in
every aisle," and it's with good reason. Hy-Vee is an employee-owned company.
You can tell that the folks who work there take real pride in the work they do,
whether they are making sandwiches at the deli, cutting meat at the butcher's
block, or whipping up a fresh batch of Cashew
Chicken.
That's right. Hy-Vee makes Chinese food. It's part of what they call their International Buffet, which also includes Italian specialties and good old American fare like potato salad and their signature fried chicken. A buffet at a supermarket? Yes, I know it's peculiar to many folks. It certainly was to me. The Hy-Vee in Indianola devotes a huge portion of its store to restaurant seating. For a flat fee, you can enjoy the International Buffet on - you guessed it - an All You Can Eat basis. Morning, noon, and night, you'll see scores of people taking spots at the counter or at a booth for a square meal.
The notion of going to the supermarket for an actual sit-down meal was completely foreign to me when I arrived in January. In the early days of my stint, I mentioned to my wife that I had eaten Chinese food at the Hy-Vee. She couldn't believe it. "Wait," she said. "You ate Chinese food at the grocery store? That's disgusting." She then added reproachfully, "I'm telling my sister." Sure, their fare may not be on par with my family's beloved China Chef in Morton Grove, IL, but I swear it was perfectly acceptable - and made by real Asian people, as I witnessed with my own eyes.
In addition to its formidable buffet and adequate salad bar, Hy-Vee features a respectable number of organic and gourmet food items. Where it really shines, however, is in its deli and catering offerings. When we've had morning roadtrips in recent weeks, I've made it a habit to stop at the Hy-Vee deli beforehand to get myself a sandwich or a wrap for the ride. Their fruit platter, which we've had supplied to us at many schools all throughout the state, also deserves recognition. They get terrific fresh pineapple and strawberries, and the grapes are consistently fine.
Above all else, however, there is the vaunted Hy-Vee cream puff. When we see these tiny gems waiting for us at a school, it is true cause to rejoice. They're bite-size - comparable in size to a Dunkin Donuts Munchkin - and they are divine. When Nicole informed me that cream puffs are baked and not fried (as I had assumed), I took that as permission to increase my intake. At a school last Friday, I must have eaten a dozen of them. It probably would have been wiser to eat them after our performance, but I simply couldn't resist. You live, you learn.
I admit that it's a bit odd for me to go on and on about, of all things, a supermarket. With the possible exception of the dine-in International Buffet, there may not be much I've described that distinguishes Hy-Vee from other supermarkets. Take into consideration, however, that I come from New York, where grocery shopping ranks low on the list of enjoyable activities. Given the predominant attitude of most New York grocery workers, which ranges from indifferent to downright rude, it's no wonder that New Yorkers are turning online in droves to do their food shopping.
Maybe that's the real reason I like Hy-Vee. Moreso than any other place I've done my groceries, the people who work there make it enjoyable and convenient. There really does seem to be a helpful smile in every aisle. The fact that the food they sell is good may be more of a bonus than anything else. As with nearly everything else in Iowa, the quality of the people determine the quality of the place.
That's right. Hy-Vee makes Chinese food. It's part of what they call their International Buffet, which also includes Italian specialties and good old American fare like potato salad and their signature fried chicken. A buffet at a supermarket? Yes, I know it's peculiar to many folks. It certainly was to me. The Hy-Vee in Indianola devotes a huge portion of its store to restaurant seating. For a flat fee, you can enjoy the International Buffet on - you guessed it - an All You Can Eat basis. Morning, noon, and night, you'll see scores of people taking spots at the counter or at a booth for a square meal.
The notion of going to the supermarket for an actual sit-down meal was completely foreign to me when I arrived in January. In the early days of my stint, I mentioned to my wife that I had eaten Chinese food at the Hy-Vee. She couldn't believe it. "Wait," she said. "You ate Chinese food at the grocery store? That's disgusting." She then added reproachfully, "I'm telling my sister." Sure, their fare may not be on par with my family's beloved China Chef in Morton Grove, IL, but I swear it was perfectly acceptable - and made by real Asian people, as I witnessed with my own eyes.
In addition to its formidable buffet and adequate salad bar, Hy-Vee features a respectable number of organic and gourmet food items. Where it really shines, however, is in its deli and catering offerings. When we've had morning roadtrips in recent weeks, I've made it a habit to stop at the Hy-Vee deli beforehand to get myself a sandwich or a wrap for the ride. Their fruit platter, which we've had supplied to us at many schools all throughout the state, also deserves recognition. They get terrific fresh pineapple and strawberries, and the grapes are consistently fine.
Above all else, however, there is the vaunted Hy-Vee cream puff. When we see these tiny gems waiting for us at a school, it is true cause to rejoice. They're bite-size - comparable in size to a Dunkin Donuts Munchkin - and they are divine. When Nicole informed me that cream puffs are baked and not fried (as I had assumed), I took that as permission to increase my intake. At a school last Friday, I must have eaten a dozen of them. It probably would have been wiser to eat them after our performance, but I simply couldn't resist. You live, you learn.
I admit that it's a bit odd for me to go on and on about, of all things, a supermarket. With the possible exception of the dine-in International Buffet, there may not be much I've described that distinguishes Hy-Vee from other supermarkets. Take into consideration, however, that I come from New York, where grocery shopping ranks low on the list of enjoyable activities. Given the predominant attitude of most New York grocery workers, which ranges from indifferent to downright rude, it's no wonder that New Yorkers are turning online in droves to do their food shopping.
Maybe that's the real reason I like Hy-Vee. Moreso than any other place I've done my groceries, the people who work there make it enjoyable and convenient. There really does seem to be a helpful smile in every aisle. The fact that the food they sell is good may be more of a bonus than anything else. As with nearly everything else in Iowa, the quality of the people determine the quality of the place.
Posted: Mon - April 11, 2005 at 08:33 PM
Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Apr 11, 2005 08:42 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Apr 11, 2005 08:42 PM