When I contemplate the future and where I'm going to live, I can't help but think about the things that I would miss about California. I'm not talking about family and friends, because that's a given; rather, I'm talking about those things that I've taken for granted as my everyday part of life. Of course, there's always the weather. I love the snow and experiencing the different seasons, but would I want to live in the snow? Shovel myself out of my driveway every morning? Drive to work on a sheet of ice? (or maybe it would be more accurate to say 'slidding' to work on a sheet of ice) Probably not...it would get old really fast. Recently, while friends across the U.S. were experiencing weather that registered in the negative degrees, I was out and about in 80+ degree weather.
Aside, from those things, I'd have to say that one of the things that I would miss the most would be my Trader Joe's. Notice how I said 'my'? I'm very possessive of it. But, honestly, I don't think that I would ever miss it, simply because I could never move to a state that didn't have TJs. It ranks right up there with Target for me. I actually look forward to and get excited to go to TJs because they have so many different types of foods and there have been few, if any, things that I haven't liked. Everytime I go, there's something new to try.
Similar to Target, it's one of those places where I go in with a list of 3 items and I come out with 15 additional items, aside from what was on my list. Take today for example. I went to TJs to purchase eggs and Vanilla Bean Joe Joes. I came out with a plethera of items that included...
Vanilla Bean Joe Joes. One of the items I actually went to TJs for. If you haven't tried these, you really must. I could sit and eat an entire box in one sitting. They're even organic. Before eating these cookies I held the firm belief that organic should stay in the food groups it was made for- vegetables and fruit. To me, organic + cookies = tasteless cardboard. 
Veggie Chips...again two words that don't really go together, but they are addicting. (and I can validate eating an entire bag because they have 'veggie' in their name)
And don't even get me started on their frozen Mac and Cheese. Y-U-M! There are 3-4 different cheeses and I just heat it up, add a little salt and I'm good to go!
One of the new items they had this week was the frozen Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough. Now, I absolutely LOVE to bake. If I could do it all day long, I would. But, when it's midnight and I have a cookie craving, I can just pop one of these out of the box and have warm, homemade-tasting cookies in 8-10 minutes. Can't wait to try them out!
Did I mention that I love Trader Joes???
I actually don't even go to the grocery store anymore unless I need something that TJs doesn't carry. I will drive 20 minutes to go to my local TJs vs. walking down the street to Ralph's... I love it that much! And, don't even try to distract me with those imitation Trader Joe's...you know... those stores you call "Whole Foods".
Please.
Next time I want to spend $5 on one apple, I'll go to Whole Foods. Until then, you can find me perusing the aisles of TJs; and, for those of you who don't live near a Trader Joe's, you have my condolences.
3 years ago
6 comments:
Don't rule out Henry's Market entirely. They have good prices and excellent produce!!! TJ's is still great though, don't get me wrong!
You can move here Julie! We have a TJ's right around the corner!
You know what I love there.....Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips and the Fresh Black Bean and Corn Salsa! That would be heaven for me it I could eat it every day.
I have heard that the Jo-Jo's are good too....but the Vanilla Bean look more my thing...I am not such a chocolate fan :-)
IF our roads weren't iced over today, I would make a trip over there (hahahaha)!
My cousin in Indy has been raving about Trader Joe's. We don't have any here so can't really identify with it, but I can relate to the Target thing; of course it's Wal-Mart for me. I've been known to go at 1 am to get something that could have waited, but can't help it sometimes.
Thanks Rachael- now I know that I could move to the east coast and maintain my sanity :-)
Henry's is a good marketplace, but for me, there's no comparison to TJs :) I know that I knocked Whole Foods in my post, but I just read that they are one of the few companies who is still hiring. I should keep my mouth shut, I may need to apply there soon!
Oh how I miss TJ's, that is one of the worst things about TX. Never move here. Visit me, yes, it's sunny and warm here too. But don't move here, b/c you'll starve. Unless you want to shop at Whole Foods, which started in TX (ironic, considering most of the people that live in this state!)
I wrote a blog a while back about TJ's and my top 10 fave things, it's so fun to hear what other people love, and I used to love trying new stuff each time I'd go... I'd always ask the cashier their top 3 and pick one of those things the next trip around. My mom's visiting form CA in 2 weeks and I already have a TJ's list going for her to bring. Unfortunately I lot of the stuff I love is fresh/frozen, so those things can't make the flights:(
Casey- when I come to visit you, I'll be sure to get a grocery list from you :-) FYI, I've heard that one of the new items to try are their Meyer Lemon Thins (cookies).
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