mazes and cheeses

I've been shopping at natural groceries for the last several years. Our apartment in Berkeley was right around the corner from one, as well as an Andronico's, which is kind of a "bit-more-expensive-than-your-average" grocery store. I love shopping at Whole Foods Market and I love natural groceries. Alas, there is not a good one very close to our new home, so we've had to stretch a little.

There happens to be a Safeway right around the corner from our new place. Fortunately, it's a very nice Safeway, well-maintained, clean, new-ish. I haven't shopped in a big chain grocery like this since I stopped eating flour and sugar, and WOW! is it hard to shop in these places. Try reading labels sometime. Nearly impossible to find things without sugar in them. I guess I had been taking my food for granted.

I do love Safeway's natural crunchy peanut butter, though. No sugar at all, but bigger crunchy peanuts than most natural brands.

The other thing I'm getting my head around is the "Club Card" game. I hate those stupid plastic cards, but I went ahead and signed myself up for one. Why pay full price, right? But today I found myself schlepping around the store, looking for those happy little Safeway tags that would guarantee me extra savings. Yay! I saved fourteen whole dollars on my purchases today! (But what am I going to do with six bags of rice cakes?)

That's how they get ya'. Once they get you playing the game, they've won, because then you start eating the things they want you to eat, and putting your money in the places they want you to put your money. (And most of those things they want you to eat? Yup. Loaded with sugar.) So, really it's just this big maze, and the boys in charge put little pieces of cheese where they want us to go . . .

Anyway, currently looking for a nice farmer's market . . . and I'll just go to Safeway for my peanut butter.

Posted: Wed - March 24, 2004 at 10:32 PM

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mazes and cheeses

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