Trip to the grocery store

I really enjoy going food shopping.  I'm sure this is pretty weird and I'm also sure once I have a family I will not enjoy it at all.  But for now, when I am just buying food for myself and have an abundance of time to browse, it is pretty awesome.  One of my favorite parts is that I get to ride my bike.  And then I load up all my food on the back, and carry it all home.  And I can feel the sweat and my muscles as I pull it up the hill.  And it makes me smile.

Alright, so I think plastic is awful.  I know that most of it can be recycled or whatever, but we also need to REDUCE the amount we use.  Even if it is recycled, it is still here, on this planet.  Plastic will never decompose and will never go anywhere.  It is just really terrible.  So, I do not buy any food that comes in any plastic container or packaging (ok sometimes I cheat, but for the most part I would say I am 95% plastic free at the grocery store).  This was doable in Pennsylvania, although it required a bit more planning and creativity on my part.  It is SO easy to do in Seattle.  The bulk sections in the grocery stores here put Wegman's to shame.  And, yes, I did say grocery storeS.  There are multiple different stores (each with multiple locations) that have HUGE bulk sections.  For those of you who don't know what I mean by bulk section, think like a big candy store where you put a bunch of candy in a plastic bag and pay for it by the pound.  These stores have bulk beans, rice, pasta, oats, dried fruit, cereal, flour, chocolate chips, spices, vanilla extract, peanut butter, olive oil, honey, cleaning products, etc, etc, etc.  It is so wonderful.  So not only is it plastic free, but there is no fancy packaging to attract the consumer so it is cheaper, also you can get the exact amount that you need so you don't get too much that will end up going bad.  So most people put the stuff in plastic bags or plastic bottles (the liquids), but I bring glass jars (which I am totally obsessed with) and fill them up.  As long as I weigh the stuff without the jar and tell the cashier, they do not charge me the extra weight of the jar when they weigh it up at the counter.  The people are SUPER nice about it.  So yeah, this takes a little extra planning to remember to bring the jars, but grocery shopping is usually a pretty big adventure since I don't do it that often and I have to get my bike bag and rack ready, so I don't ever forget.

Another thing to avoid plastic, I don't put any of my produce in plastic bags.  I understand that some people don't like dirt and germs and stuff, but I don't really care, I never have.  So I just put the fruit and veggies right in the cart and then right in my bike bag and then right in the fridge.  No need for extra plastic for no reason.  And then any fruit that comes in plastic I just don't buy, like grapes or something.

And then in general, any other stuff that comes in plastic packaging I just don't buy.  There are plenty of substitutes and nothing that I have absolutely NEEDED for a recipe that I couldn't get.  So far at least.  I do buy things in glass, cardboard, or metal.  It is kind of fun actually.  It has become a game to be entirely plastic free when I go to the grocery store.  You have to make it fun, otherwise it would be miserable.  But it's pretty easy to make it fun.

Today's grocery trip was super fun for a few reasons.  First I found a new grocery store that has mostly local, organic produce, and really awesome other stuff, and lots of vegetarian/vegan options, and EXTREMELY friendly and way helpful staff.  Then, I asked one of the staff people about the cilantro.  Do you ever have this problem: a recipe calls for cilantro, but just a little bit.  But the cilantro in the store only comes in this giant amount rubber banded together.  You could never make that many recipes using all the cilantro before it goes bad.  I have, in the past, dried the remaining cilantro, but no recipe ever calls for dried cilantro and it just really isn't as good as fresh.  So I still never ended up using it.  There should be smaller portions of cilantro that you can buy.  (There is always a similar problem with parsley and green onions, and probably a few other things.)  SOO, I asked one of the staff people if there is any way to get around this.  He said not really since they sell it by the bunch and not by the pound.  So he was like, well how much do you need.  And I was like, well not that much.  So he told me to just take a few sprigs from one of the bunches and not to worry about and to tell the cashier that Harry said it was ok.  So pretty sweet, not only was the cilantro free, but I didn't have to waste any.  Ok and then the last thing, I wanted to get some Snow Peas, but I needed something to put them in so they wouldn't just fall through the cart.  I usually bring a cloth, but I didn't bring any with me this time.  I really didn't want to use plastic (especially since I knew I would be able to be 100% plastic free otherwise today).  Luckily I had just bought Real Change, the homeless newspaper from the homeless guy that was selling it right outside the store entrance.  I ripped off the front page and wrapped a handful of Snow Peas in the paper.  It worked perfectly.  And they tasted wonderful in my pasta tonight.

Basically, I really enjoy food shopping.  It is a new adventure every time and is like a little game for myself.  I may even enjoy shopping more than I do cooking and even more than I do eating the food.  Kind of weird, but cool.  And it makes me happy that it is so easy to shop in a way that is good for the earth in Seattle.  There are still, of course, things that can be done better and ways of processing and shipping the food that can be better, and a whole slew of other things, BUT, it is a step in the right direction.