Hard Times in the City


Jam, paper towels, chocolate, maybe some tomatoes, if they look alright -- that's what was going through my mind as I walked to the small grocery store that's right behind our apartment and almost slammed into the glass door because the store was unexpectedly CLOSED and will be for the next three weeks while it undergoes some long overdue renovations.

It felt like a personal affront -- how could they do this to me?  Even though I never really liked the store, I need it.  I've gotten used to keeping only the barest of necessities in our refrigerator because I know that I can always run down and get some milk, eggs, and most essentials in the blink of an eye.  Sure, I could walk to the Monoprix that is about ten minutes from home, but then I would have to lug everything back to the apartment.  Or, I could buy over 100 € worth of groceries and have it delivered for free, but I don't really need that many things right now.  Life has suddenly become more complicated, especially because I have visitors coming from Switzerland this weekend and there isn't any food in the refrigerator.  Thank goodness for French cafés and Picard!

The gutted grocery store.

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Comments

  1. Do you want me to bring something from here ;-) ??

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  2. Yes, please bring some jam, paper towels, chocolate... Just kidding. Well, not about the chocolate, you can bring some!

    See you soon!

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  3. But isn't that the treat and treasure of living in Europe--shopping in small batches from the market down the street, even if it is the Monoprix ten minutes away? And doing it everyday or every other day. It's part of the adventure. Maybe it's easier when you're a tourist and just bringing things back to the hotel room. But honestly, I prefer to shop small and frequently but yes, staples are almost always present. Staples can be a challenge.

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  4. You're right - it's shopping for the staples that make going to the Monoprix a chore. Toting home laundry detergent and toilet paper isn't as fun as going to the local fishmonger or the cheese store. Tomorrow's post is going to be about a visit that I did to Les Halles with a woman who used to run a cooking school. We saw some beautiful cherries and abricots this morning.

    I loved reading your post about your farmer's market. I've been thinking about lovage and remembered that I've used dried lovage seeds in Indian food but never fresh lovage.

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