I apparently haven't gotten the hang of this whole blogging thing, since I write a post and then forget about it for half a year. So here's to consistency! Since nobody knows about this blog anyway, I'm going to use this going forward as a place to write down jot down thoughts about groceries (and food in general) for my own reference.
So. . . I'm in Paris this week, which is pretty exciting if you're a foodie. We have a couple good meals lined up (back to some of our favorites from last year), but mostly I'm excited about the outdoor markets and especially the produce stands. Yesterday after a brief jet lagged nap we walked to Rue de Cler and enjoyed perfectly ripe raspberries from an outdoor vendor. The portion size was pretty small, certainly fewer than the average small container you'd get from a grocery store in North America, but unlike my usual domestic raspberry purchases, these were all at the height of ripeness, and not a single one was spoiled. I found that savoring a perfect raspberry helped focus me in the moment and helped me enjoy enjoy our walk through the 7ieme arrondissement even more.
As will probably become a theme over the course of this week, we ended up at Le Grand Epicerie de Paris, possibly my favorite grocery store ever. One of the things I love about this grocery store is that each section (produce, chocolate, meats, prepared foods, sweets etc. etc.) functions as a mini-market unto itself, complete with attendant. At the main checkout, they don't weight foods or look up product codes for non-packaged items--you have to get the attendant in the respective section to weigh or wrap the item and affix the price. Speaking of price. . . this grocery experience certainly has a steep one. I wanted to buy some delicious looking cherries. . . until I realized that the kilogram container would cost me close to 50 Euros! So we just grabbed some juice and yogurt for the morning (one of which---natural Rhubarb in a glass container--I am enjoying as I write this), and some freshly made Chicken Tika, couscous with raisins and glazed carrots from the prepared foods area and dragged our tired selves back through the rain to our apartment.