On Sunday I took the kids on an afternoon playground run to wear out the little darlings, and asked my husband at some point in his errand-running to pick up some food for dinner: “How about some packaged ravioli and sauce?” (OK, OK, I should making from scratch, I know.)
At 5 pm, we all met up at the apartment, and he was thrilled with what he’d bought at The Natural, on Austin Street. I’d given the grocery market a quick spin last week and liked what I saw too. Lots of fresh food, organic produce.
Then I took close look at the frozen ravioli stuffed with feta cheese, and it was sort of….shaded. I tore open the packaging and saw dark patches and, worst of all, slightly green furry patches. It said proudly on the packaging “No preservatives.” “All organic.”
This is the dilemma I’ve had before. I want food to be light on the chemicals and preservatives. But I don’t want it to be furry and green when such states of being are not called for. At Whole Foods, in Manhattan, I had to start steering clear of the uncooked meat and poultry after some hamburgers I grilled made us all feel sick. And I’m not being paranoid. There was a TV story about Whole Foods’ fish being riddled with worms. Sometimes you need to preserve the food, people.
I am really missing D’Agastino. Everyone says go to Stop & Shop but you need a car. We don’t have one.
Guess I should count the hours until Trader Joe’s opens?
D’Agastino’s is just as expensive as The Natural.
Try Trade Fair on QB. Ignore the dustiness. Their prices, variety (esp ethnic foods) and meats are very good. Go to The Natural for fruits and veggies.
Or, take the Q23 down 108th Street and try some of the fruit stores there. Or also try 63rd Drive on the south side, at Saunders St.
Stop and Shop is only good for sale items, which disappear very quickly. People enjoy going there because it is “suburban” – meaning a parking lot, big aisles and bulk sizes of cereal and mayonaisse. Otherwise, IMHO it’s a rip-off.
trader joe’s will be but a few blocks away from stop & shop anyway…