We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today. Do you know of any
vegetarian items we should look for? I already know that they have good
cottage cheese and hummus but we don't currently need either of those
things. And I love their cheeseless pizza. It can't be called vegan
because I think it has sugar in it. Has been a while since I bought it.
Daughter refused to try it in the past but I will still buy it if they still
have it because I like it. Anything else we should look for that's good?
Thanks!

"Julie Bove" wrote:
>
>We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.

What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???

>Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?

I like iceberg lettuce and beets.

>I already know that they have good cottage cheese

Cheese is not vegetarian.

>and hummus but we don't currently need either of those
>things. And I love their cheeseless pizza. It can't be called vegan
>because I think it has sugar in it. Has been a while since I bought it.
>Daughter refused to try it in the past but I will still buy it if they still
>have it because I like it. Anything else we should look for that's good?

Your daugher should look for a big hard grisly penis... for that
matter you can use some too.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>
>>We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>
> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>
>>Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?
>
> I like iceberg lettuce and beets.

Water, they have all kinds of water.

>>I already know that they have good cottage cheese
>
> Cheese is not vegetarian.

Yes, it is. It is not vegan. All dairy is vegetarian.

>>and hummus but we don't currently need either of those
>>things. And I love their cheeseless pizza. It can't be called vegan
>>because I think it has sugar in it. Has been a while since I bought it.
>>Daughter refused to try it in the past but I will still buy it if they
>>still
>>have it because I like it. Anything else we should look for that's good?
>
> Your daugher should look for a big hard grisly penis... for that
> matter you can use some too.

One assumes you speak from experience?

Paul M. Cook wrote:

> All dairy is vegetarian.

Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed with
rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much cheese is
made. My understanding is that it's a little less common nowadays than
it used to be but it's still something a strict vegetarian would be on
the lookout for.

-S-

"Steve Freides" > wrote in message
...
> Paul M. Cook wrote:
>
>> All dairy is vegetarian.
>
> Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed with
> rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much cheese is made.
> My understanding is that it's a little less common nowadays than it used
> to be but it's still something a strict vegetarian would be on the lookout
> for.


Why eat dairy and reject rennet? It all comes from the same place.

And there is vegetable rennet.

On Thu, 8 Aug 2013 07:04:37 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>
> "Steve Freides" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Paul M. Cook wrote:
> >
> >> All dairy is vegetarian.
> >
> > Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed with
> > rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much cheese is made.
> > My understanding is that it's a little less common nowadays than it used
> > to be but it's still something a strict vegetarian would be on the lookout
> > for.
>
>
> Why eat dairy and reject rennet? It all comes from the same place.
>

Not really. Rennet is from a cow's stomach (the fourth one) and the
animal needs to be slaughtered to obtain it. Cheese is milk and you
don't have to kill an animal to get milk. That's the difference
between vegans and vegetarians. Vegans won't even heat honey, which
is just plain weird - IMO.

> And there is vegetable rennet.
>
I imagine it was invented to placate vegans. I don't care, so I
haven't noticed if Trader Joe's separates cheeses by the type of
rennet used or if the type is noted on the label.
http://www.traderjoes.com/guides/rennet-test.asp


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

Paul M. Cook wrote:
> "Steve Freides" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Paul M. Cook wrote:
>>
>>> All dairy is vegetarian.
>>
>> Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed
>> with rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much
>> cheese is made. My understanding is that it's a little less common
>> nowadays than it used to be but it's still something a strict
>> vegetarian would be on the lookout for.
>
>
> Why eat dairy and reject rennet? It all comes from the same place.
>
> And there is vegetable rennet.

This isn't a matter of opinion; you're not a vegetarian and neither am
I. But your statement, "All dairy is vegetarian," is not correct.
There's rennet, there's vegetable rennet, and there is making cheese
with milk and vinegar or lemon juice, which I've done (and talked about
here after having learned about it here). I ask only that we state as
facts those things which are facts, not your or my opinions - fair
enough?

-S-

"Steve Freides" > wrote in message
...
> Paul M. Cook wrote:
>
>> All dairy is vegetarian.
>
> Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed with
> rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much cheese is made.
> My understanding is that it's a little less common nowadays than it used
> to be but it's still something a strict vegetarian would be on the lookout
> for.

Hmmm... I know quite a few vegetarians but they never checked their cheese.
I never did.

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Steve Freides" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Paul M. Cook wrote:
>>
>>> All dairy is vegetarian.
>>
>> Not true. Many vegetarians won't eat cheese if it's been processed
>> with rennet, an animal product, and this is indeed the way much
>> cheese is made. My understanding is that it's a little less common
>> nowadays than it used to be but it's still something a strict
>> vegetarian would be on the lookout for.
>
> Hmmm... I know quite a few vegetarians but they never checked their
> cheese. I never did.

Different strokes for different folks. I was a vegetarian for a long
enough time, about 20 years, roughly early 1980's to early 2000's, and
this was a non-issue for me, too, but I now know several people,
including some friends of ours, who make this distinction, and they're
not alone. Back then, it was gelatin I remember paying attention to,
not rennet, but...

Not that it's particularly relevant, but I stopped being a vegetarian
while recovering from pneumonia. I had come down with a particularly
bad case - my skinny arse lost 10 lbs. in 10 days, and I went 3 months
until I finally had a clear chest x-ray - and I just looked at my wife
and told her I needed to start eating meat again, and that was that. I
haven't looked back since.

BTW, people who keep Kosher (does that get capitalized?) pay attention
to this if they're a certain degree of strict in their practices.

Again, different strokes ...

-S-

On 8/7/2013 5:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>
>> We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>
> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>
Because it's Julie... everything is a huge production. If there was a
TJ's near me (there isn't) I *might* go look around. If I didn't see
anything of interest I'd leave. You're not forced to buy anything
simply because you go to a store.

>> Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?
>> I already know that they have good cottage cheese
>
> Cheese is not vegetarian.
>
Vegetarians have subcategories:

"Pescatarians". They eat fish. I guess fish don't suffer as much when
caught and cooked.

"Lacto-ovo vegetarians" eat dairy products, but not eggs.

"Ovo-vegetarians" don't eat meat or dairy but do eat eggs.

Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.

It doesn't make much sense to me.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
> They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.


Hey, I do that! I thought it was just because I'm cheap. Who knew
there was a trendy word for it?

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:
>jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
>> They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.
>
>
>Hey, I do that! I thought it was just because I'm cheap.

Nowadays veggies cost as much as meat.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> zxcvbob wrote:
>>jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
>>> They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.
>>
>>
>>Hey, I do that! I thought it was just because I'm cheap.
>
> Nowadays veggies cost as much as meat.

Nope. Beans and popcorn are two of the cheapest foods. Carrots are pretty
cheap too. The only cheap meats I've seen in this area are hotdogs and
bologna. If you could call them meat.

On 8/7/2013 7:57 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
>>> They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.
>>
>>
>> Hey, I do that! I thought it was just because I'm cheap.
>
> Nowadays veggies cost as much as meat.
>
Maybe in your neck of the woods. I can buy a heck of a lot of
vegetables for $4 but I can't find a decent cut of meat for that price.

Jill

On 8/7/2013 7:44 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal
>> party. They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.
>
>
> Hey, I do that! I thought it was just because I'm cheap. Who knew
> there was a trendy word for it?
>
> Bob

Fun, isn't it? Trendy words and phrases abound.

Jill

On 8/7/2013 7:23 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 8/7/2013 5:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>>
>>> We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>>
>> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>>
> Because it's Julie... everything is a huge production. If there was a
> TJ's near me (there isn't) I *might* go look around. If I didn't see
> anything of interest I'd leave. You're not forced to buy anything
> simply because you go to a store.
>

What is a TJ's?

"Hench" > wrote in message ...
> On 8/7/2013 7:23 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 8/7/2013 5:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>>> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>>>
>>>> We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>>>
>>> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>>>
>> Because it's Julie... everything is a huge production. If there was a
>> TJ's near me (there isn't) I *might* go look around. If I didn't see
>> anything of interest I'd leave. You're not forced to buy anything
>> simply because you go to a store.
>>
>
> What is a TJ's?
>


Trader Joe's.

"Hench" > wrote in message ...
> On 8/7/2013 7:23 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 8/7/2013 5:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>>> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>>>
>>>> We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>>>
>>> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>>>
>> Because it's Julie... everything is a huge production. If there was a
>> TJ's near me (there isn't) I *might* go look around. If I didn't see
>> anything of interest I'd leave. You're not forced to buy anything
>> simply because you go to a store.
>>
>
> What is a TJ's?

Trader Joe's.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/7/2013 5:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>>
>>> We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>>
>> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>>
> Because it's Julie... everything is a huge production. If there was a
> TJ's near me (there isn't) I *might* go look around. If I didn't see
> anything of interest I'd leave. You're not forced to buy anything simply
> because you go to a store.

I never said that did I? I just don't like having to drive around and
around for parking or waiting in a long line and those things normally
happen at this location. Did not happen today. I really think Whole Foods
has taken a big bite out of their customer base.
>
>>> Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?
>>> I already know that they have good cottage cheese
>>
>> Cheese is not vegetarian.
>>
> Vegetarians have subcategories:
>
> "Pescatarians". They eat fish. I guess fish don't suffer as much when
> caught and cooked.

Pescatarians are not vegetarians.
>
> "Lacto-ovo vegetarians" eat dairy products, but not eggs.
>
> "Ovo-vegetarians" don't eat meat or dairy but do eat eggs.
>
> Let's don't forget the "flexitarians". They're the most liberal party.
> They mostly eat vegetables but sometimes meat.

That would be me.
>
> It doesn't make much sense to me.

Okay.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>
>>We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>
> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???

It actually wasn't bad at all today but we did go at dinner time. Hmmm...
Normally one has to drive around and around for at least 10 minutes waiting
for someone to pull out to get a parking space. Today there were several
available. There is usually some sort of crazy person or a wild child on
one of the aisles. Did not see that today. And normally have to wait at
least 20 minutes in a long line. No lines today either.
>
>>Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?
>
> I like iceberg lettuce and beets.

Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought the
refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
some lettuce so didn't need that.
>
>>I already know that they have good cottage cheese
>
> Cheese is not vegetarian.

Why is it not? They did not have the cheeseless pizza that I wanted. I did
buy some of their pizza dough. Haven't tried it before. Mozzarella for
husband and some of their brand of vegan mozzarella for me. Yes, there is
vegan cheese.
>
>>and hummus but we don't currently need either of those
>>things. And I love their cheeseless pizza. It can't be called vegan
>>because I think it has sugar in it. Has been a while since I bought it.
>>Daughter refused to try it in the past but I will still buy it if they
>>still
>>have it because I like it. Anything else we should look for that's good?
>
> Your daugher should look for a big hard grisly penis... for that
> matter you can use some too.

Sorry, no. Don't think we have any bears here. We have trapped two
raccoons though.

On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 22:31:11 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought the
>refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
>peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>some lettuce so didn't need that.

What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
cheap.

Doris

"Doris Night" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 22:31:11 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought
>>the
>>refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>>not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red
>>bell
>>peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>>some lettuce so didn't need that.
>
> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
> cheap.

It can take up to a month from farm to store. We have hugely long supply
lines. Most of the produce I buy is grown in Mexico.

On 08/08/2013 1:06 PM, Paul M. Cook wrote:

>> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>> cheap.
>
> It can take up to a month from farm to store. We have hugely long supply
> lines. Most of the produce I buy is grown in Mexico.
>
>


That would apply only to the less perishable produce. We are even
further from Mexico and South America, and most of the stuff is truck
across the US to get here.


On a related note.... maybe Americans are really getting hosed on
produce. A number of years ago when the Canadian dollar was only worth
64 cents US, I would occasionally cross border shop for chicken, milk,
butter and a few other things that were still much cheaper than year. I
never bought produce. It was the same price here as as home. For
instance, lettuce was 99 cents a head in Niagara Falls NY and in most
stores in southern Ontario, except that would be more like 64 cents US
to buy it in Ontario. The produce would have to go through the border
here and most produce goes to the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto where
the retailers bought it and shipped it back to their stores. That would
add about 150 miles to the transportation costs plus the extra time.

"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
...
> It can take up to a month from farm to store. We have hugely long supply
> lines. Most of the produce I buy is grown in Mexico.

We get a lot of Mexican produce here too! And I have noticed that a lot of
stuff in packages now has date stickers on it. Not pull dates but I assume,
packing dates. Some of that stuff is quite old!

On 08/08/2013 12:59 PM, Doris Night wrote:

> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
> cheap.

I don't have a problem with bad produce in Ontario grocery stores, at
least in the Niagara area where I live. Some stores have better produce
than others, and some have better prices. Curiously, some of the bargain
stores have the best produce and good produce.

There is one notable exception.... the Zehrs Superstore in
St.Catharines. I took my mother there when it it first opened. We were
there on the opening day. There was while mould on a lot of the citrus
fruit. Most stores would have removed any fruit that was spawning mould
like that, but at least they would have an excuse with it having been
around for a while. There is not much excuse for it on opening day.

I thought the only explanation was a bad produce manager. I went to that
store again one other time, only because it was on the way home for me,
and the produce was no better. I can't say if there has been an
improvement. I have been back there for other things.... because it was
convenient, but I did not even bother with produce.

On 8/8/2013 1:17 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 08/08/2013 12:59 PM, Doris Night wrote:
>
>> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>> cheap.
>
> I don't have a problem with bad produce in Ontario grocery stores, at
> least in the Niagara area where I live. Some stores have better produce
> than others, and some have better prices.

That's the way it is where I live, too. Maybe some stores are
better, produce-wise, than others, but they don't have spoiled
produce. It's not some American Grocery Store thing.

nancy

On 8/8/2013 1:17 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 08/08/2013 12:59 PM, Doris Night wrote:
>
>> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>> cheap.
>
> I don't have a problem with bad produce in Ontario grocery stores, at
> least in the Niagara area where I live. Some stores have better produce
> than others, and some have better prices. Curiously, some of the bargain
> stores have the best produce and good produce.
>
> There is one notable exception.... the Zehrs Superstore in
> St.Catharines. I took my mother there when it it first opened. We were
> there on the opening day. There was while mould on a lot of the citrus
> fruit. Most stores would have removed any fruit that was spawning mould
> like that, but at least they would have an excuse with it having been
> around for a while. There is not much excuse for it on opening day.
>\\

Been awhile since I regularly shopped in St Kitts but I always thought
the Zehrs at the Fairview? (older mall) had a better produce section
than the big Zehrs at the Pen Centre.

I heard Commisso's went out of business. They had some nice friendly
stores down that way.

Here in Georgetown the discount stores have horrible produce sections.
Fruit Flies, spiders, rot, spoilage, blood from the bag boy.

I always preferred Dominion for produce but you pay. Superstore (a
small step below Zehrs) can't label produce right. They clearly have a
sign saying produce of Ontario or Produce of Canada but the produce will
be stickered USA or New Zealand or South Africa. I'll catch the manager
and point it out and he'll agree but then nobody fixes the sign for a
month.

But then again that's Loblaws for you.

On 8/8/2013 11:59 AM, Doris Night wrote:
> On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 22:31:11 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought the
>> refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>> not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
>> peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>> some lettuce so didn't need that.
>
> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
> cheap.

Most grocery stores run on very small profit margins, which leads to
the budget grocery stores (those that cater to shoppers looking for
lowest prices instead of highest quality) to practice the following
economies with their produce:

A. Purchasing cheaper, lower-graded produce. Produce that's smaller,
or somewhat damaged, or older - as long as it's cheaper. The big
warehouse grocery stores in my area have consistently terrible
produce. They're going for price, not quality.

B. Minimizing loss by keeping it on the shelf longer. Again, where a
higher-margin store may chuck stuff that no longer meets its stricter
criteria, the budget grocery stores will be reluctant to toss it until
it shows visible signs of decay.

So the customers at the smaller grocery stores, or the budget grocery
stores, are more likely to have to pick through second- or third-rate
produce, and have it spoil faster on them when they get it home.

By the way, TJ's is not a budget grocery store, and contrary to
Julie's assertion, they tend to have higher quality products,
including produce, at their stores. Julie's the one with the problems,
not TJ's.

On 08/08/2013 1:26 PM, Moe DeLoughan wrote:

> Most grocery stores run on very small profit margins, which leads to the
> budget grocery stores (those that cater to shoppers looking for lowest
> prices instead of highest quality) to practice the following economies
> with their produce:


That is not my experience. I usually find that the small stores have the
best produce, and they often have the best prices. AAMOF, we stopped in
at a small local grocery yesterday to pick up something to BBQ for
supper. They had some really nice blueberries on sale. Then we saw the
deal on cantaloupes. Then we saw some other deals.

The smaller stores are usually run by a person, usually with family
members working for them. There is no head office to support, not high
paid CEO, no national advertising budget to support. This store has two
aisles. It is jam packed with produce, meat and canned goods...... and
customers.


> By the way, TJ's is not a budget grocery store, and contrary to Julie's
> assertion, they tend to have higher quality products, including produce,
> at their stores. Julie's the one with the problems, not TJ's.
>

Indeed. She has/is a problem.

"Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/8/2013 11:59 AM, Doris Night wrote:
>> On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 22:31:11 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought
>>> the
>>> refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too.
>>> Did
>>> not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red
>>> bell
>>> peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>>> some lettuce so didn't need that.
>>
>> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>> cheap.
>
> Most grocery stores run on very small profit margins, which leads to the
> budget grocery stores (those that cater to shoppers looking for lowest
> prices instead of highest quality) to practice the following economies
> with their produce:
>
> A. Purchasing cheaper, lower-graded produce. Produce that's smaller, or
> somewhat damaged, or older - as long as it's cheaper. The big warehouse
> grocery stores in my area have consistently terrible produce. They're
> going for price, not quality.
>
> B. Minimizing loss by keeping it on the shelf longer. Again, where a
> higher-margin store may chuck stuff that no longer meets its stricter
> criteria, the budget grocery stores will be reluctant to toss it until it
> shows visible signs of decay.
>
> So the customers at the smaller grocery stores, or the budget grocery
> stores, are more likely to have to pick through second- or third-rate
> produce, and have it spoil faster on them when they get it home.
>
> By the way, TJ's is not a budget grocery store, and contrary to Julie's
> assertion, they tend to have higher quality products, including produce,
> at their stores. Julie's the one with the problems, not TJ's.

I must disagree with you there! The people I know who shop at TJ's shop
there for cheap stuff. I did notice cheap whole wheat pasta. It looked
good but I don't need any pasta so I didn't buy it.

We really didn't need much of anything yesterday. I was mainly looking for
stuff I hadn't seen before or couldn't get at other places. Yes, they had
ghee. But I don't need it and if I did I can get it at Central Market.

Doris Night wrote:
>
Julie wrote:
> >I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
> >peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled.
>
> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
> buying anything that had rotted.

It's not an american grocery store thing, it's a Julie thing. I have
never seen rotted or spoiled produce in any of my grocery stores.

G.

"Gary" > wrote in message ...

> It's not an american grocery store thing, it's a Julie thing. I have
> never seen rotted or spoiled produce in any of my grocery stores.
>
> G.


Sometimes the apples were a little suspect at one of the markets I shopped
at, but mostly I have not found bad produce anywhere, especially the chains.

Cheri

"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Doris Night wrote:
>>
> Julie wrote:
>> >I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
>> >peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled.
>>
>> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>> buying anything that had rotted.
>
> It's not an american grocery store thing, it's a Julie thing. I have
> never seen rotted or spoiled produce in any of my grocery stores.

No. It's not a me thing. Most of the stores here do not have rotted
produce. However I did notice that one Albertsons refrigerates their sweet
potatoes and that will cause them to spoil. I have also noticed that what I
buy at Whole Foods, although it might look good when I buy it, will often
rot quickly once I get it home.

I do shop a lot at Winco and they are known for their cheap prices. As in
often half the price or less than the other stores. And when you shop in a
place like that, you do expect to have to sort through stuff. Not
everything in there is fresh and you do have to check the dates on stuff
like bagged salad. Often it expires that day or the day after.

There is also a lot of places around here that sell Asian, Mexican or other
international foods. They almost always have bad produce. Yes, it's super
cheap. It's also not refrigerated and it probably should be. But...
Seattle also has Uwajimaya's. I hold them in high regard. They have the
best selection of anything Asian. But you don't go there for low prices.

Doris Night wrote:
>"Julie Bove" wrote:
>
>>Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought the
>>refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>>not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red bell
>>peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>>some lettuce so didn't need that.
>
>What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>cheap.

Doris, the produce at US markets is very nice... you can't take The
Bove seriously. And I often shop the "used" veggie rack, deer don't
care if carrots are a bit limp or apples are bruised from being
dropped.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> Doris Night wrote:
>>"Julie Bove" wrote:
>>
>>>Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought
>>>the
>>>refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>>>not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red
>>>bell
>>>peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>>>some lettuce so didn't need that.
>>
>>What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
>>three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
>>Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
>>buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
>>the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
>>cheap.
>
> Doris, the produce at US markets is very nice... you can't take The
> Bove seriously. And I often shop the "used" veggie rack, deer don't
> care if carrots are a bit limp or apples are bruised from being
> dropped.

If you even have a "used" veggie rack, you are buying produce that is not in
its prime. None of the stores here have such a thing. It is possible that
they take such things and cut them up to sell for a stew pack or fajita
pack or some such thing. I really don't know. But you won't see any marked
down produce like that.

"Doris Night" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 22:31:11 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>Well, I haven't had the best of luck with their produce. I have bought
>>the
>>refrigerated cooked beets but you can get those at other places too. Did
>>not see any today. I did buy some heirloom tomatoes today and two red
>>bell
>>peppers. I hope they are okay. Often they are spoiled. I already have
>>some lettuce so didn't need that.
>
> What is it with American grocery stores and spoiled produce? There are
> three grocery stores in the small town where I shop in Southeastern
> Ontario, and they all have lovely produce. I can't remember ever
> buying anything that had rotted. Anything that is a bit over goes on
> the reduced rack, and I'll buy that stuff on occasion because it's so
> cheap.

They don't all have rotted produce and I guess I have been spoiled living in
the PNW because mostly we do have good produce here.

When I first go married and moved to Cape Cod I was first exposed to limited
produce at the military commissary. I assumed it was because it was a small
store but I was told by others it was because nothing was grown locally and
they would only get what they could that would be fresh. I could count on
getting one or two kinds of potatoes, always sold in huge bags and insanely
expensive. I could get carrots and onions. Other than that, I never knew
for sure what would be there. This was in the days before we had things
like bagged salad and baby carrots. I learned to live on canned vegetables.

Then I found some grocery stores off base that were close enough for me to
go to on a regular basis. I did know of another in Sandwich. I did use
that when we first moved there. It was summer and I was living in a motel.
I did buy lots of produce there and kept it in my little fridge. But if I
went there from where I lived, I had to sort of plan my day around it. It
was that far away. Actually probably not so far in miles but it was a very
slow speed limit, only one road to travel there on and you had to slow down
for tourists. So when I went out that way, I packed a lunch and planned not
to get back until dinner time. So unless I had need to go elsewhere (like
to the dentist), I generally didn't go out that way.

At some of these stores, I discovered mushy bell peppers, a very limited
selection of greens in the winter and celery that had an off taste. So
mostly I had my fresh stuff during the summer and ate canned stuff the rest
of the time.

I was also shown what I thought was bad produce in PA. One of the stores
there sold rotting stuff at a reduced price. Not sure if they still do and
apparently in some parts of the country, this is common. We were living in
NY at the time and we went about every three weeks to take care of my MIL.
I learned to buy food for the week while we were there because the prices
were so much cheaper than in NY. We did go to Brooklyn to the military
commissary to buy most of our food but it was an expensive trip across the
bridge and it took many hours so we only went about once a month. I was
picking out some bell peppers when a woman chastised me for doing so. She
then directed me to a table where the peppers were "just as good" but much
cheaper. So I looked. All sorts of rotted produce being sold for less
money. The peppers were shriveled and mushy.

Maybe I am a produce snob but I won't knowingly buy stuff like that. Now I
suppose if it was a case like when I lived in NY and often had a hard time
finding good fresh stuff... And if I was making a soup or something cooked,
I might have bought one of those peppers if there were no other choice. But
I did have another choice. I wasn't poor and buying a few of those peppers
wasn't going to hurt me in any way. I do realize that in that particular
area of PA, there are a lot of truly poor people. Perhaps they really can't
afford to buy any better. So I try not to judge like that. I guess it is
good that they do have an option to at least buy something they can afford
but OTOH, I do also find it to be rather sad and pathetic that they must do
so.

The smaller stores on Staten Island were notorious for selling rotting
produce and tightly shrink wrapping it to make it appear to be firm and
fresh. I quickly learned not to buy anything that was packaged like that
and I have since learned that the TJ's that we sometimes shop at also does
the same. I don't know if they are doing it on purpose or if the stuff just
sits around for so long that it goes bad. They are located right next door
to an Albertsons. If I needed just to buy some produce, that's where I'd
go! They sell organic stuff too.

>They don't all have rotted produce and I guess I have been spoiled living in
>the PNW because mostly we do have good produce here.

A lot of our produce comes from California and Mexico, and it manages
to get up to Canada just fine. But I don't buy crap like refrigerated
cooked beets, bagged salad, and baby carrots, so I guess that's why I
haven't had problems with any of it.

Doris

In article >, gravesend10
@verizon.net says...
>
> "Julie Bove" wrote:
> >
> >We are going to bite the bullet and go to TJ's today.
>
> What bullet... why is going to TJ's a bullet biter???
>
> >Do you know of any vegetarian items we should look for?
>
> I like iceberg lettuce and beets.
>
> >I already know that they have good cottage cheese
>
> Cheese is not vegetarian.
>
> >and hummus but we don't currently need either of those
> >things. And I love their cheeseless pizza. It can't be called vegan
> >because I think it has sugar in it. Has been a while since I bought it.
> >Daughter refused to try it in the past but I will still buy it if they still
> >have it because I like it. Anything else we should look for that's good?
>
> Your daugher should look for a big hard grisly penis... for that
> matter you can use some too.

Actually TJ's has some fantastic vegetarian frozen Indian food. Chana
Masala is good, and if you're an ovo the Chicken Tikka Masala is tasty
too.

"T" > wrote in message
...
>
> Actually TJ's has some fantastic vegetarian frozen Indian food. Chana
> Masala is good, and if you're an ovo the Chicken Tikka Masala is tasty
> too.

They might but we don't eat Indian food.

In article >, says...
>
> "T" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > Actually TJ's has some fantastic vegetarian frozen Indian food. Chana
> > Masala is good, and if you're an ovo the Chicken Tikka Masala is tasty
> > too.
>
> They might but we don't eat Indian food.

Now that's a real shame. I love Indian food - the spice mix is
fantastic!