supermarket sweep

in this country of "small portions" i decide to start the day with the all American skillet, 2 sunny side eggs, toast and a combination of fried potatoes, peppers, onions bacon and rice, not the healthiest breakfast but America does not do healthy. Today i have set myself a target of a trawl of five of the major supermarkets in the area armed with the innovation shopping list. First stop Super target in Northeast Dallas, on arriving i am met with the usual American layout with a large produce department to the left that starts you on your journey around the store, each chain has almost the same format, look and feel only the name changes. I am immediately impressed at the quality and quantity and variety of the fresh produce, from raspberries, asparagus to fresh cactus[ well i am in Texas]. the grocery aisle is next on the agenda, these are well stocked and merchandised, with every imaginable convenience product that i can think of, in all shapes, sizes and formats that i could possibly want and being well utilised by the consumers in front of me, it soon becomes apparent that some of the areas that i need to cover during this trek will be easier to find than others. In the couple of hours it takes too complete the store i realise that the all to familiar chilled convenience aisle was virtually non existent. I then move onto Albertsons and Walmart stopping on the way at the Twisted root burger company to check out there highly recommended home made burgers, root chips and their homemade sauces and relishes. Feeling a little peckish as i only had the light American breakfast mentioned earlier, i decide to go for the jalapeno and blue blue cheese burger with the handcut sweet potato chips, topped with ancho chili ketchup and horseradish mustard just to add a little more kick than it all ready has. I wash this all down with their own recipe root beer [ TCP] to some people.

But know time to waste Wholefoods is next on my list. This is a totally different experience to the one in London, which in my opinion has never really matched the concept here in the states. I decide to visit one on Preston road in a very nice suburb northwest of Dallas. I am hoping to find some things a little out of the ordinary that the major supermarkets wont stock

This is another level again, on entering the store you are met by the concierge[ yes i am in a supermarket] who asks if you would like a tour of the store or help with your shopping experience. Every aisle and area of the store is carefully thought out and being constantly stocked with fresh meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables.

Being late afternoon the store is busy with commuters and families stopping by to grab the evening meal and groceries, this is very much a store that is shopped on a daily basis with the hot a cold entree selection that is on offer.

I decide it is time to head off to the courier agent [Renee] to store the grocery haul that has been collected through out the day, Four out of the five stores complete.

next stop Culinology!