Ok, confession time: as a foodie and self confessed food shopaholic, it may surprise you to learn that I hate regular grocery shopping. I do it every two weeks, three if I can stretch it. I leave work and go directly to my local supermarket and do the round. I promise myself it's only going to be an hour max: in and out with my list, groceries in the boot of the car in less than an hour. It is never that way as I always end up spending two hours or more, going through the crowded shop, getting tired and hungry and buying stuff I don't really need at the time, but might save me another dreaded trip.
The so-called "convenience" of the supermarket is outstripped by the long ques, the total lack of interest and knowledge of most of the supermarket staff, the misleading offers, and most annoyingly, the flipping changes on the layout of the floor every month to get you to drive your trolley through the whole of the shop floor trying to find where the bread aisle has gone to! I lose precious time trying to find the stuff I want to buy and in the process loading the trolley with things I don't need or want but can't resist. A minefield for a shopaholic like me with an average of 250 euro every time I drop by! What a nightmare!
Last week, I visited the Honest2Goodness Market in Glasnevin, which is run by Brid Carter, a lady I met a few months back through my involvement with Slow Food Dublin. I've been meaning to drop and see it for a while but with one thing or another, hadn't gotten to it. The first thing that hit me was how much of a social outing it is! We stopped and chatted to all the stall holders, talked about their produce and sampled some yummy stuff. I noticed that a lot of the customers knew each other and the producer by name and a few "I'll get the usual Fionnula" or "Same as last week Paddy" were overheard. There was no pushing and shoving, no long cues to pay, just really relaxed and happy customers. We spent the most enjoyable two hours there and it reminded me of how much fun shopping for groceries can be and how much I'm missing out by going to the big guys in the supermarket.
I went back this week and I had similar experience and in the process I got a crazy idea for this post! I'm going to go cold turkey on the supermarket and do my grocery shopping, ALL OF IT, in the markets around Dublin. I'm going to try and see if one can truly go back to the "inconvenient ways" of yesteryears and shop every week for one's food needs in what is available in local food markets and specialised, local food stores (not convenience chain shops). I am going to track the whole experience for three months to see if it changes the way I cook, if it modifies my purchasing habits and if it changes the way I view grocery shopping. I'm also going to track my spending to see if there is an impact on my budget and my spending habits. So wish me luck and keep an eye on the blog to learn how I get on!
