what’s on your grocery list?
I saw a funny book today at Barnes and Noble. I kid you not, it was called Found Grocery Lists.
And it was scanned grocery lists, in their crumpled glory, with scrawls of notes from disparate homes. Some had large punctuation, some the 4 year old was told to add CHIPS in barely legible print. Some included lawn fertilizer and cat food and pounds of crab meat. Specific wine names appeared, along with peanut butter and detergent. Lists were scratched and scribbled on every torn up surface, from back of receipts to a torn edge of the last grocery bag to extra white space on that cover fax sheet—rarely did a normal sheet of paper suffice. Torn, perforated but insisting on Crest toothpaste, these lists were amusing to say the least.
I always chuckle at my own, random, currently turquoise sheets of paper, magnetized to my fridge. It separates Costco from my Trader Joe’s list, and has another column for another, closer market. Even the drugstore or Target show up non-grocery items. My list now contains pecans, milk, kitchen garbage bags, tea lights and face wipes. Eh, not all things are table-worthy. I always tell The Husband that ‘grocery’ as a line-item budget number is a very loosely held term (hey, do half-price culinary books count?).
I thought I had lost this particular list yesterday, but found it today:
small vaseline
bandaids
honey
dijon
vegetable oil (canola)
mouth bands (for son’s braces)
bread
milk
kid juice
2 lemons
avocado
balsamic
olives
colander
large drinking glasses
This list basically says: we are on vacation and forgot a few things, a few ingredients are still required to attempt putting my deep-fryer to use (and to make the honey dijon sauce for the chicken), my turkey sandwich really does need an avocado, my pasta needs to be strained and these glasses are just too small. And the band aids? Well, long story, but my finger is going to be just fine.
Next week’s list includes snail bait; they are eating my herb garden. I will also buy reams of Roma tomatoes and vats of mozzarella balls and pounds of Italian sausage and red pepper jelly. The large quantities will be necessary for feeding the masses (family reunion); the red pepper jelly the start of my latest quick assembly appetizer (stay tuned).
What I love about grocery lists? They tell a story. Sometimes practical, sometimes funny, sometimes about ‘places to go, people to see, things to do.’ A grocery list often reflects the season, might be a well-organized list that boasts a week of planned meals, or simply covers those few items that ‘fills in the blanks.’
What story does your current list tell?
Tags: grocery lists
Comments
Don’t know if the book is based on this web site (http://www.grocerylists.org/), but it’s fascinating to see what people put on their lists! I’ve often thought that if I saved all of my lists for a year, I’d find the same things over and over — which possibly explains why sometimes I end up with five bottles of vinegar….
Lydia: thanks, I will go check out the site! Hee hee: I feel your vinegar pain:). I always end up with ingredients that I plan to use for new recipes, but then I forget which cookbook that one recipe came from…
I don’t know if I’d want people finding my list! lol
Jeff: well, now I want to see it!!
I love the idea that shopping lists tell a story. What a great thought for the day. Thanks! It gives me a whole new perspective on grocery shopping.
I love that website, it’s pretty funny. Have you ever seen the ‘Found’ website and magazine? It’s along the same lines but it posts photos of random items that people find- notes, photos etc.
Check it out….
http://www.foundmagazine.com/
Lisa: Me too! And… I stare at the carts as they are being unloaded too. I figure they are good fodder for stories as well…
Kate: Just peeked at it; it is amazing to me all the different sites. Thanks for the tip, it is a fun ‘FIND.’ :)))))