I figured that since it was Germany, not Britain, not 3rd world wild game products, it would be okay.
But didn’t look into it and my cousin, who’s lived in Bavaria for 40+ years, would have said something, but either he didn’t know we had them or …
I enjoy the market and shop a few times a week. I’m looking forward to spring and the opening of the farmer’s markets.
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There is basic shopping and there is adventure shopping. I love shopping Grocery Outlet and a tiny local outlet, Pic n’ Save, which sell manufacturers’ overruns and close to best by date products. I never know what I’ll find, almost always oddball stuff that my usual markets don’t carry, that are usually expensive and not something I’d normally “afford”. But at pennies on the dollar, I scoop up wonderful (most of the time) weird stuff. Almost never stuff I “need”, but that is fun to experiment with at “the right price”.
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I don’t know how the rest of the world manages without a GO within shopping distance.
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dh takes it as a personal affront if we have to buy (organic) milk, eggs or bread at our corner super.
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Full disclosure: I live in a shopper’s paradise. Don’t hate me. Wegmans, tjs, whole paycheck, giant, costco, bjs on and on. All nearby. Also aldi and fairly recently my Acme closed #cry Is it not said that when one door closes another one opens? Omg omg omg! I loved that Acme so much. But so help me god, and I am not even religious they Opened a Lidl! So yeah I like going to the grocery store now. I was not really aware of the treasure hunt vibe though I did get a cheap stand mixer at aldi once. Beware the lidl aisle of shame, you have been warned my friends. And lidl has tgtw and gnomes and…breathes into a paper bag. Yes I like.
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Where is this paradise?
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I like it. I visit grocery stores when I travel. I peek into small town general stores when I take road trips. I come home from vacations with spices, jars of preserves, etc. I come home from road trips with baked goods, like Chelsea buns, which are easiest to find in rural Canada.
My Friday night out the last 2 years has often been grocery shopping at 9:30 pm. Nice and empty.
Lots of the photos on my phone are photos taken inside grocery stores.
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Night shopping is good shopping.
I’d rather shop for groceries than clothes any day of the week. I especially love the small shops that carry ethnic (read anything not Zehrs or Wally world) groceries. I picked up idli rice, barberries, Greek tea, Polish herbals, fermented shrimp, curry leaves and many other things that I use on a regular basis, all close by. Love, love, love multiculturism.
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Pic n save (also sister shop Big Lots in some areas) taught me the joy of odd jams and preserves.
My mom had a severe allergy to corn, any level of it. In the states, most commercial pectins are made from corn. But in areas where corn is not cheap? Like Egypt or Switzerland? They use wheat for pectin. How did I start finding this out? Standing in the aisle of a Pic N save, calling the 800# for the Hero preserves. Awesome.
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I enjoy going to the market very much. I talk with the guys at the meat counter and the cheese lady.
I typically nay buy Akaushi beef tenderloin, lobster, scallops, and swordfish.
I buy a lot of cheese but the cheese lady picks it all out.
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Yes, I love to go to the grocery store, like everyone I also enjoy it so much that I buy groceries for my house.
Grocery stores were part of my family. My dad had a small store in Ybor City early in his married life. My mothers family had a much larger store in Ybor as well for many years. They also had a store in Macon Ga when my mom was very young. She remembers cutting meat but worked in all areas of the store
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I like it because it means I have money to buy food. Lots of people are making hard choices these days- food, utilities, fuel, a roof over their head. I love picking out produce and fruit. I love planning weekly menus and looking at recipes. When I travel, I go to grocery stores just to see what they have. Weird I know.
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No. Not weird. Nothing wrong with taking an interest in a new place, or being able to and being fulfilled by looking after yourself/family/others. As you say however, for many people providing basics is very difficult. I hope we all help as best we can.
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Sorry about the very late reply, I am still a noob here. I live in a suburb of Philadelphia Pa near the Montgomery Mall which is not doing well right now. Montgomery County is the place and although I do not golf this county gets mad props for it’s gold courses. Went to Lidl today. Lidl is my Tara. Winter has finally loosened it’s grasp upon the land and people were in fantastic moods. I saw two different kinds of gnomes which I somehow resisted. I purchased the fixings for fast strawberry shortcake. Vanilla pound cake, strawberries and I tried to nab some aerosol cream but everyone gets the same idea at once. Good thing I had a spare at home. The children seems happy but bored. One little girl stared at me a lot as I was trying to find a nice lime. I stared back at her and then waved. She waved back with a really small sweet wave. And then the little girl in the cart ahead of me with the distracted dad just blew me away with her cuteness. I was the one staring at her because she was standing up in the child seat area of her cart. I understood she was an agile little monkey. Can I even type that? I waved at her and she waved back with both hands. In a flash we were playing a game to see who could wave in the most creative way. She won and everyone was so hyper focused no one else noticed. Oh yeah I scored a nice butterflied lamb roast. I like grocery shopping
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Thank you.
Hope I didn’t go on and on. I still have little onion training wheels on my trike. Finally figured out how to introduce a topic on NAF. Where I went on and on about thrift stores.
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I am neutral about regular supermarkets but I seem to be in them three or four times a week. On the other hand, I often spend hours wandering around in ethnic markets just to see if I have overlooked something. Fortunately I have 4 Asian, 2 Indian, 1 Middle Eastern, and multiple Hispanic markets near me.
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I’m in Western Europe. I do most of my shopping at a large wholesale grocery store for restaurants - you need a special pass to enter which you can get if you have your own company (I don’t but my brother has).
It’s a joy! Wonderful produce, straight from France and Italy. Local vegetables for cheap. Free wine tasting all day long. Free bits of food all around. There is a small restaurant and free bathroom. Free coffee from a machine. Free parking in front of the store. What’s not to like? 
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