Trader Joes is a Bad. Bitch.

Living in Soho is so sweet, most of the time I feel like I am living in a dream. I can only really think of two shortcomings, but they are big ones, like deal breakers. Ok, that is a wild exaggeration, but you get the point.

1. Soho has NO good Chinese Take-Out. You can get either super upscale, fancy Asian Fusion bullshit, or you can go legit China Town aka I have never heard of anything on this menu and its not written in the western alphabet. And neither deliver. 
2. The grocery stores are a civilized version of highway robbery. Shopping at the Gourmet Garage, affectionately re-named "Gourmage" by AZN, is equivalent to taking money out of your wallet and eating it. In fact, that would be more cost effective I believe. Hate it. 

The first of these shortcomings has no solution, this might be a good thing, because it has drastically curtailed my Chinese Food intake. The second of the shortcomings has a solution that involves, one rolling suitcase, one 140 block round trip on the C train, one two-avenue cross town hike and the Traders Joe's at 72nd and Broadway.

Now, it is true that Trader Joes has a somewhat strange and limited selection of groceries, but you know what they say about desperate times. I have found that, with a little creativity and flexibility in regards to your staples, you can get by just fine exclusively shopping there. Its just so cheap and their products are a good quality, so I really have no complaints. Aside from the fact that I think I pulled a muscle in my neck hauling my 90 pound rolling suitcase down two flights of stairs on the Upper West Side and then back up two flights downtown...and the fact that I get mistook for a disheveled tourist with all that luggage on the subway-- bastards.

I have to say I love love the affordability. Food at TJ's is so reasonable that I really do not have to hold back. It's a favorite part of my week when I walk in the doors and think to myself, I can wander around and get whatever I want. This may not sound super satisfying--how exciting can "whatever you want" be in a grocery store with a limited selection of fruits and veggies-- but it is baby, it is.

I went wild today! Got enough food for this week and next AND some special stuff to make some "pumpkin feta muffins" and make a second attempt at that damned whole wheat chocolate chip cookie skillet that came out sooo wonderful last week.

Everything you see here came to $80! Its a steal.