Grocery Roulette is a project started by two transient ladies (and two real life cats) squatting in West Philly. ShakeShake and Spuggles have embarked on a shared life journey, their youthful beginnings in gilded suburban Southern California and their latest adventure unfolding in crumbling post-industrial Philadelphia.
The silver spoon grocery trips of our youth are gone. No longer can we pile into mom's leather-seated minivan, drive across pristinely paved roads, and arrive at Members Only Costco with the now unimaginable expanse of a half-empty parking lot at our fingertips. In Philadelphia, we have courageously made dozens of journeys to food markets all over the city, endlessly searching for a store that possessed the perfect mixture of convenience, affordability, odorlessness, and affordable ethnic treats. After more than a year and a half in this rough and ready city, we are still on the quest.
Our quest will now get a bit more interesting. We are going to begin playing Grocery Roulette. Every shopping trip, a new market.
How do we decide which market to visit each time? We will write down the name of every grocery store in the city on tiny pieces of paper. We will put those pieces of paper in the chamber of a revolver, then put bullets in there and shot a street cat.When the cat is dead we'll go retrieve the message from its mangled corpse. Then we'll go shopping at the indicated grocery store and review it.
Um. Just kidding. I think we'll just put the names in a hat or something.
Now, we invite you to share our adventures with us. Before we begin, let get acquainted.
ShakeShake:
I have a complicated relationship with supermarkets. Then again, I have a complicated relationship with almost everyone. I have always loved grocery shopping and cooking. I grew up amidst the tense 2003 grocery union strikes in Southern California, and my family was forced to shop at the high-end Gelson's Market in Westlake Village for several months. I also had a wonderful stint working as a summer cake decorator in Vons/Safeway during college, not appreciating then the benefits of the union contract I had. Even later, I worked in a street market in Chile, hawking fresh fruits and veggies with the president of the local feriantes union. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me then, when after college, I ended up an employee of the grocery workers international union, beating the pavement and sneaking around grocery stores in Phoenix Arizona, attempting to coax unwilling workers into better working conditions. I spent hours in breakrooms, schmoozing with meatcutters and the ladies at the front end. I nearly got arrested leafletting a chain of stores. I fell in love with Fry's Mercado, a store that had all the flair and Mexican treats of a Latino market, but also the stability and high wages of a union shop. After leaving Phoenix for Philadelphia, I am still seeking another grocery Mecca. On principle, I only shop union. But I still sometimes yearn for the variety, personality and unique decor of local neighborhood shops. Philadelphia is tough territory for grocery connoisseurs. Lines can be long. Deli-cutters can be inattentive. Some stores haven't been cleaned or updated since the bicentennial. Our quest for great shopping, however, lives on. Welcome to the journey!
Spuggles:
Spuggles here!
I am very excited to start (errr...umm continue) the search for the best grocery store in Philadelphia with Ms. ShakeShake! It is true, we both have a passion for grocery stores. This passion was definitely cultivated in my former home city, Chicago. One of the things I miss most about that city is my beloved medium-sized, grocery store heaven, HarvestTime Foods.
Feta cheese bar ? Check.
20 limes for a $1. Check.
Fresh, affordable produce? Check.
At least 10 different kinds of fresh tortillas? Check.
Mexican sodas? Check.
In-store made guac, hummus, salsa? Check.
Friendly staff? Check.
Eco-friendly bags with a pic of the Chicago skyline in food? Check. Adorable.
Good meats? Check.
Cheap bulk spices? Check.
Vast array of Middle Eastern food products? Check.
Quick bus ride away? Check.
How I miss it so. I haven't been able to find anything like HarvestTime here in Philadelphia, but I'm hopeful this search will reveal some equally wonderful places to shop.
My experience with grocery stores during my formative years was quite different. I hail from the suburban disaster that is known as Orange County where there is a big box chain grocery store at every turn...Pavilions, Vons, Ralph's, Albertson's, Henry's, Bristol Farms, Gelson's, Costco, etc. The concept of a "food desert" would seem inconceivable to someone living in Orange County. Yet, these stores are rather blase and offer all of the typical, boring chain grocery store products.
I'm really interested in finding stores that offer specialty ethnic products that you can't find in most chain grocery stores. This is what makes the hunt exciting and fun. Or perhaps "hyperlocal" products. I love this honey I bought at Milk & Honey with the zip code of the apiary where it was harvested (mine was from 19139).
I'm also interested in finding stores with fresh, affordable produce. In fact, I'm working on a project right now in grad school to increase access to fresh, affordable produce in an area of Philadelphia with limited access to these types of products. So I probably think about this stuff way too much...but anyways, I'm excited to start the journey! Special points for grocery stores that offer multiple varieties of mangoes.
