The Kingdom of Monrovia
Two years ago - before we moved to Chico - my wife and I used to do much of our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. Why not? Plenty of organic options, relatively inexpensive, convenient locations all over California, and manageable-sized stores that don't require a map. The fact that 95% of the food came from mythical "Monrovia" didn't phase us.
Recently I made a run to TJ's and noticed how little I was purchasing. Since settling down in Chico, our food-purchasing habits have certainly changed. Here is a list of what we used to purchase frequently at TJ's, and where we buy these goods now:
-Flour, sugar, nuts, rice, cereal, pasta, olive oil, honey, liquid hand soap, shampoo, and tofu are now all bulk purchases at Chico Natural Foods or S & S. Of these, the rice, cereal, tofu, olive oil, honey, and many of the nuts are locally produced or grown.
-Bottled milk is also now purchased from S & S/Chico Natural; the glass bottle is returned for its redemption value.
-Most of the bread we now purchase is from the Farmers Market.
-My daily glass of TJ's frozen orange juice has been replaced by 1-2 fresh-squeezed glasses a week from Farmers Market oranges (when in season).
-Carrots and basil are also now Farmers Market buys, when in season.
-Hummus, when we have it, is now usually homemade.
-Cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, and frozen fruit (for making smoothies) are now all sourced from our backyard or from the Gardeners' Swap Meets.
-Avocados are only bought at TJ's when the label says they are from the U.S. (which indicates that they are probably grown in California).
-Bananas are no longer a regular part of our diet.
Here are the items that we still regularly buy from Trader Joe's. We look forward to reducing this list further and continuing to liberate ourselves from the Kingdom of Monrovia.
Ak-Mak Crackers
Avocados (organic, sourced from the U.S.)
Baked Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (organic)
Bar Soap
Brown Sugar (organic)
Butter (organic)
Canned Soup (organic)
Canned Tomatoes (organic)
Canned Vegetarian Chili (organic)
Crumbled Cheese (feta, blue, goat),
Laundry and dishwasher detergent
Mayonnaise (organic) and a few other condiments
Pasta sauce (organic)
Pepperjack cheese (organic)
Pine nuts (organic)
Sour Cream (organic)
Turkey Jerkey
Toothpaste
Whole Wheat and Corn Tortillas (organic)
Yogurt (organic)
Comments
Continue on the path away from Monrovia and shop local. The newest player in overstock trusted name organics is Grocery Outlet Stores. That's right, the rainbow place next to KMart in Chico. This is not an ad for them, but a dollar is a dollar. And these days food dollars have to have bang for the buck without sacraficing commitments to better living.
At Grocery Outlet, read your labels and dates carefully and you can score many of your favorite condiments, deli, canned and frozen goods at 50% to 75% off. Stock up and enjoy!
Posted by: mntnrose | July 8, 2008 12:01 PM
Thanks for this.... It allowed me to reflect on my own dependence on the Kingdom of Monrovia.
I was then surprised to find that the TJ's website doesn't provide any additional information about where the Kingdom procures their goods.
Sustainable? Hmm.....
Posted by: Lindsay | July 8, 2008 01:11 PM
mntnrose,
Thanks for the tip. I will certainly check it out!
Lindsay,
I am not surprised at all. The biggest reason Trader Joe's has a lot of organic products because it is economically advantageous. I would guess that they do the minimum in order to source and sell organic food at the cheapest price possible. I am not sure if the public would be as ready to buy their products, even the organic ones, if the source of each item was readily accessible. I was recently in a Whole Foods in the Bay Area, and saw they they do list sources of their produce. But it is more expensive. Knowledge is apparently a consumer product as well.
Posted by: jeremy miller | July 8, 2008 06:27 PM
After a new roommate moved in and started filling up the trash can with Trader Joe's packaging, I realized how wasteful Trader Joe's really is. All the packaging required for some of their produce blows my mind! I didn't buy produce from them before, and I certainly won't now. These days, I visit Trader Joe's once a month, at that. Their vegan food options get smaller and smaller, and my wallet gets fatter and fatter.
Response:
I still buy U.S. grown organic avocados at TJ's. I am saving the plastic netting in hopes of someday finding a use for them.
Posted by: Sarah | August 19, 2008 07:55 PM