If money were no object....
Where would you do all of your grocery shopping? Whole Foods? Trader Joes? A local store that you would love to support but just can't afford?
I would probably frequent my local health food stores more often since I don't have a WF or TJ anywhere near me. But I guess if money were no object I could afford to drive an hour to shop at Fresh Market! Wishful thinking....
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29 Comments:
If money were no object I would do my grocery shopping in Western Europe.
SqueezeBottle at 11:53AM on 11/14/08
I'd do as much of my shopping as possible from the farmers' markets... the smaller, organic vendors, anyway. For the anything else I needed, I'd shop pretty much all over. I think about this a lot, it's so difficult to find the things I want here, even when cost is no object (e.g. The goose I'll be getting for Christmas will probably cost about $80, give or take ten to twenty... for a FROZEN one; I cannot even find a source for fresh ones :( ).
mongoose at 11:55AM on 11/14/08
Oh... should've said... I'm in Denmark. If I had a time/space portal, in addition to a bottomless purse, I'd do my shopping in Florence, where I grew up (and then I wouldn't even NEED a bottmless purse...).
mongoose at 11:59AM on 11/14/08
If money were no object, I'd hit all the specialty shops, fishmongers, butchers and import shops I could find. I'd never step foot in a Publix or Kroger again, but rather would peruse up and down the glorious aisles at Whole Foods Markets and giddily fill my cart with every item I desired, and plan elaborate meals with top quality ingredients. I'd also do a whole lot more on-line ordering of specialty import items. I'd have Maine lobsters shipped to me from the Northeast, and I'd never buy another store-brand item...and I'd buy the standing rib roasts and legs of lambs and filets and all the stuff I have to walk by now on my way to the family packs of ground beef and chicken thighs. I'd never buy another block of plain old cheddar again...but rather spend tons of money of chevres, bries, and nutty, smelly italian wheels of aged deliciousness and then I'd buy the expensive crackers to put them on. Ahhh, to dream....
juliebugsmama at 12:03PM on 11/14/08
We don't really have specialty grocers in the town I live in (it's a weeee bit too small for that), but we have a gorgeous store called New Frontiers - it's like the Arizona/California answer to Whole Foods. The food is organic usually and always beautiful but SO expensive. If money were no object I'd get everything there without a doubt. Until that day comes, I just go there for regional goat cheese, bulk stuff (oats to agave nectar!), and meat (ground turkey is surprisingly cheap, their seafood is out of this world, and they make a wide variety of delicious sausages in-house).
joyyy at 12:11PM on 11/14/08
If money were no object (and I lived in a warmer climate) I would do all of my shopping at farmer's markets and stick to eating local food.
Or I would take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard once a week to buy from the incredible farmers there.
Even though money is an big object right now, I avoid the superstores most of the time. I prefer small markets where everybody knows my name. It costs a bit more per item, but I find that I spend less overall because I don't buy processed foods or things I don't need.
Laurie Cooks at 12:12PM on 11/14/08
i'd import everything...how refreshing it'd be to be able to spare absolutley no expense...sigh.
gastronomeg at 12:13PM on 11/14/08
@juliebugsmama i'm with you, only i'd have a shopper and cook for when i wasn't in the mood to go in the kitchen.
dearrie at 12:17PM on 11/14/08
Wouldn't change a thing. We buy what we want. Food is one of our top priorities in our house, so whatever we crave, we buy.
Cassaendra at 12:36PM on 11/14/08
According to my wife, I already shop that way. Food is one of the few things that I will not compromise much on. I would rather pay for quality ingredients then to try to save a few pennies to buy some inferior product.
With that said, I generally buy my meats at a local butcher/farm. They are in their 5th generation of doing this.
My produce mostly comes from the supermarket, but there is a great farm/farmstand that I go to when I can, it's a bit of a haul.
Alan
aholsber at 12:43PM on 11/14/08
@Cassaendra -- lucky you. Adopt me. please.
juliebugsmama at 2:39PM on 11/14/08
me to. i don't take up to much space and i don't mind chopping
dearrie at 3:16PM on 11/14/08
I would go to whole foods for the prepared stuff - salads, soups, cereals and veggies. I would go to a local butcher, bakery, Italian deli, pork store, cheese monger, vineyards and farmers market for basic food groups. Since money is no object, I am assuming I do not have to work so I would have the time to shop in all these different places.
KtMc24 at 3:30PM on 11/14/08
If money were no object in my food shopping, I'd probably forget about the simple pleasures in life like meatloaf, spaghetti, and roast chicken. I'd also never come up with a new recipe for anything(after all isn't necessity the mother of invention?).
beth1 at 3:57PM on 11/14/08
Dorothy Lane Market, Oakwood OH. (www.dlm.com)
I shop there when I can (usually on Sundays after we've gone through a few open houses of houses we can't afford either). Would love to do so more often.
akk328 at 4:47PM on 11/14/08
Lobell's.
bessfour at 4:57PM on 11/14/08
Between my helicopter and private plane, my staff and I could travel the world and always have the freshest and best ingredients this planet has to offer. If we didn't want to go to the fish market, we'd charter a boat and catch our own, we might buy berries at a farmer's market, or pick our own. Might as well enjoy the scenery on the way and have luxurious accommodations if money is no object. Hey, it could happen! Would somebody please peel me a grape? ;0
PerkyMac at 5:10PM on 11/14/08
If money were no object, I'd buy everything I could locally, fresh, and organic. I'd like to buy some fancy meats!
Laurel E at 5:39PM on 11/14/08
I drive all over for great ingredients. I cannot help it I love a road trip. Now that gas is 1.89 I am going to do it more.
JerzeeTomato at 6:24PM on 11/14/08
I actually have pretty simple, cheap tastes. I don't eat meat, and I don't really drink alcohol. I'd probably use more organic products and like most of the people in the thread, do more 'destination' dinners and shopping.
HeartofGlass at 7:27PM on 11/14/08
@squeezebottle 102% agree. lol
pjracz10 at 10:21PM on 11/14/08
I would start my own farm, building from the bottom up, learning as I go. Raising livestock, tending to a massive garden, vineyards, orchards, and fields of grain. My own dairy and cheesemaking facilites; a bakery turning out my freshest whimsical desires. Not to mention a distillary and and brewery. A big ole' fishing boat to go catch some damn fish and harvest the other bounties of the sea. An expanse of land to hunt wild game. Evn my own methods of collecting salt, pepper and any other spice or seasoning I desire...
It would take several lifetimes and a boatload of money...but as long as it's no object...
sailordave at 11:00PM on 11/14/08
I'm in France. If money were no object... I would take the TGV to Paris and shop in its wonderful markets each week.
meg3j at 11:19PM on 11/14/08
@sailordave you read my mind!
huneybumper at 8:54AM on 11/15/08
@sailordave I'm one of those shoppers who buys whatever I want but the real deal would be as you described. If money were no object, I, too, would want a beautiful farm, vineyard, olive grove!!
deber at 9:31AM on 11/15/08
I'd have a personal shopper who only bought the best - whatever it is
and someone to clean up after me (to give my husband a break) and a personal trainer 4 times a week who came to my home and forced me to keep fit after all the good meals I made.
Nonny at 10:48AM on 11/15/08
If money were no object, I'm thinking that would mean that I would have more time for both shopping AND cooking and I'd be able to spend long, lazy days cooking things. And I'd probably end up giving away a lot more food than I already do. Maybe I'd start a goumet soup kitchen, just to amuse myself.
As for what I'd buy differently, probably not much on a day-to-day basis. Even when I have the money to spend, I enjoy shopping for the best prices and I get a kick out of finding great bargains. However, I'm sure I'd spend more time seeking out interesting stores. I'd probably also spend more money at the local butcher shop and find a fish market with truly fresh fish.
I'd probably occasionally indulge myself in things that I've never been able to find or afford like fresh white truffles. But that would be the occasional thing, because honestly, I like meatloaf and spaghetti and other homey sorts of foods, and I wouldn'e be willing to give those up, no matter what.
dbcurrie at 4:17PM on 11/15/08
people's answers are proving that indeed, time IS money, and vice versa.
Christina at 4:35PM on 11/15/08
@Squeezebottle - it's a darned good thing for you I wasn't drinking coffee when I read your comment!
If money were no object, I'd do shopping at a whole HOST of stores. They would likely be as follows (and in no particular order):
Trader Joe's
The Fresh Market
Whole Foods
Dean & Deluca
Citarella
Barefoot Contessa (if it's still open - I know Ina no longer owns it)
A little neighborhood Italian Salumeria called Plateroti
A great Italian store in St. Pete called Mazzaro's.
And yes, Western Europe.
therealchiffonade at 7:22PM on 11/17/08