Sometime in the past, I have regaled the audience here with a post or two on the victuals of Romania. I have talked of Christmas and the mighty pig, and of Easter and the lamb. In many situations the local broth, called ciorbă (Turkish words for who may care) plays a part.
Ciorbă is rather a staple of Romanian cuisine, often the standard first course. It is basically a soup, a broth, however you may call it. One of the particulars of the region is that many of these broths are made including a souring agent. For ciorbă recipes, I have always hesitated because well… they’re kinda boring and most would not be interested. You’ve seen one soup, you’ve seen em all. Is there much difference, in the end, between French onion soup, minestrone and pho? I did decide to present a few variations, and here we all are.
First let’s start with the basic formula. Water (duh), vegetables, herbs, salt, sour and meat (although this can be optional, with the addition of more vegetables like ugh zucchini and whatnot). Various greens are also added, optionally, in spring and summer. Basic broth stuff.
For the water I recommend unleaded.
The vegetables are not different from the standard base for soup and sauce in many a country. Onion, carrot, parsnip, bell pepper, potato and celeriac root – many use celery, but in Romania celeriac is used. The vegetables, depending on taste, can be mostly left in big chunks to give flavor to the liquid, and then discarded – to the joy of most small children; or chopped more finely and left to be eaten. Celeriac and parsnip are always discarded. Potato, carrot and bell pepper are generally kept. Onion can go either way, although if you chop it fine enough it can almost melt in the broth. Some add tomato, most don’t.
Herbs vary, but the main ones in Romanian ciorbă are parsley and lovage.
Meat is also whatever one likes, with the comment that for a more intense broth you need some bone, preferably with some marrow. Which is usually the case, as the ciorbă is a way to use bones with some meat left on them from various parts of the animal, or tougher meat which benefits from boiling; choice pieces of meat are never used.
For each, the process starts with the meat and water, keeping in mind to leave enough room for the sour liquid. The meat part is boiled for a while, up to an hour or more if you have the time… boil away. During this time I think people care more or less about this, but my mother always skims the scum that forms on top multiple times.
After the meat is boiled reasonably well, the vegetables are added. There may be some scum to skim from those as well. Greens if used are added for some 5 to 10 minutes cooking, and when the soup is almost done, the souring liquid is added, brought back to a boil for around another 10 minutes.
The herbs are added towards the end as they need little cooking time. It is usually finished with egg. It can be either dumped directly which sort of scrambles them – called rags in Romania, or you can let it cool a little and temper the eggs by slowly adding some broth while mixing, thus incorporating them instead of scrambling. My family uses the second method.
Souring is general to taste, my family prefers more sour than usual. The sourest of ciorbă is usually made after a day where a feast with liberal alcohol consumption occurs, as it is seen as a good hangover food – it is generally light on the stomach and the sour taste helps with feeling of nausea – probably the opposite approach to the Anglo-Saxon heavy fatty fried breakfast.
Recipe one is basic winter pork ciorbă, made with the freshly processed beast. The souring agent is pickel brine, in this case from pickled cabbage, a standard staple in Romania. Just go to your pickled cabbage barrel and get a pot. Be careful as it is quite salty, so the soup needs no additional salt. The liquid should be added a bit at a time and the broth tasted, it is hard to prevent excessive saltiness otherwise.
About 2 to 2.5 kg of pig was used, although it is mostly bone. About 2.5 liters of water, boil for an hour, skim scum. Add vegetables of choice, boil for another 40 minutes. Add brine to taste, bring back to boil (the brine being cold). No greens in this one, just some frozen lovage and eggs at the end.
Recipe two is the traditional Easter lamb ciorbă. This one is soured using Borș.
A note on borș: despite etymological similarity, it has nothing to do with the disgusting concoctions Russians make from beets. Borș is based on fermented wheat bran. This is widely available for purchase here, of reasonable quality, and besides cooking it is used by some as a refreshing drink with, like many a fermented beverage, alleged probiotic benefits.
Homemade, if you have the time or lack the way to purchase, can be better, but there is a bit of work. To start the fermentation, people usually keep part of the last batch in a jar, to start the new batch, sort of like sourdough.
My mom keeps about 1kg of the old batch, to which 200 gram of wheat bran and 200g of corn meal are added, with about a 1.2 liters of warm water – 40 Celsius or so. After that it should be kept in a warm spot to ferment, often in the sun in late spring, for 24 to 30 hours, stirring occasionally as the bran settles at the bottom of the jug.
If you do not have any old stuff, you can start with 600g of bran and 600 g of corn meal and add one or two slices of fresh bread, as it will probably have some remaining yeast. The first batch will probably not be quite good enough, but it can be used as a starter for the second batch, which should be the real thing. Actual yeast may be added, although this gives it a yeasty taste, but this can also be fixed the same way, by using the first batch solely as a starter for the second. Only the liquid is used for the food, so all the solids should be strained. Yes… I realize none of you will be making this, but I gave the instructions anyway.
For this one the ration is about 2kg of meat, 2.5 liters of water, 2.5 liters of borș – 2 batches worth of the above recipe. Add the meat – lamb head is essential – and water, boil for 30 minutes or so – lamb boils fast. Then add carrot, parsnip, celeriac in big chunks as they are removed later for this recipe. No potatoes here, and no onion as spring onions are used instead.
Boil for another 45 minutes or so, remove the root vegetables, and add a bunch – like 8 or so depending on size – spring onions chopped. 10m minutes later, add the greens. You can use whatever greens you want and in whatever quantity, in this case patience dock and sorrel (or a type of sorrel anyway) – which adds a bit more sourness. Spinach can be used, even lettuce, stinging nettles, ramps, whatever. Usually Easter being in spring, spring greens are used – people would pick whatever grew around the house. These greens are roughly chopped and put in the pot.
5 minutes later you can adjust for salt to taste and add the borș. Let it come to boil again and boil for 10 minutes, the taste changes somewhat and the taste of boiled borș is what you want in ciorbă. Afterwards you can turn off the heat, put a large handful of chopped lovage. 10-12 minutes later, after it has cooled a bit, add 3-4 tempered eggs, and one more handful of chopped lovage. And you are done.
Recipe 3 is a simple meatball ciorbă. 500 grams or so of 80/20 beef with a handful of white rice and a handful of chopped parsley plus one egg should be good for some 30 meatballs.
Mix well together. Place 2.5 liters or so of water in the pot, and after it starts boiling form and add the meatballs.
This one is soured using unripe corcodușe which translate I believe to cherry plums. These are a clean sour taste when unripe, unlike most actual plum cultivars which have a bitter taste as well. In Romania cherry plums or unripe grapes are used, but I suppose other things can be used as long as they have a nice sour taste. The cherry plums also freeze well and can be used through the year. They should be still green when picked, but the stone should be fully formed. About 300 grams are placed in a liter of water and boiled. About 35 minutes or so. Later, they are pushed through a strainer, so the pulp gets in but the pits and peels stay behind, and there you have your souring agent.
After some 30-40 minutes, add the veggies, celeriac (large pieces), and the rest chopped carrot, potato, onion. Leave boil for another 40 minutes, remove whatever big pieces you don’t want. Add the greens same dock and sorrel in this case, boil for 10 minutes and add the cherry plum liquid. This only needs to come up to boil again and then turn off the heat. Add a handful of lovage and, 10 minutes later, 3 eggs.
And this is about it. Three types. There are more, although these are the main souring agents; vinegar is sometimes used, or lemon but quite infrequently. Don’t forget to have a fresh hot chile pepper on the side and take occasional bites out of it. Bread is optional, but usual.
In many situations the local broth, called ciorbă
I read that as brothel.
For the water I recommend unleaded.
HAH!
These soups look delicious. Thanks Pie!
they are to my taste so thanks.
what do you people have against parsnips? – we have a pandemic going I will remind you
I have nothing against parsnips. They can be quite tasty.
copy paste error it was about brothels
Oh OK.
Well, you gotta use condoms in brothels so that should take care of things, right?
Parsnips roasted in chicken fat until they are brown and delicious (like in the same roasting pan as a whole chicken). Yum. I also use ’em in my “straight-up” beef stew recipe (which is really an adaptation of my French grandparents’ stew recipe which has all kinds of influences from various French stewed dishes). In most other culinary applications I find them to be off-putting.
“Brown and delicious” just happens to be how I like my brothels…
Creamed parsnips are one of my favorite side dishes.
I make an Irish Stew with parsnips. Delicious.
I often use root vegetables in the drip pans when I rotisserie things. This is the only way I’ll eat parsnips.
Discarding the veggies is not what I would do. Veggies are yummy. Great recipes Pie! Thanks!
I hate them a lot less now than when I was 10… with some exceptions.
I come from a “eat everything on your plate or else” family so we liked most all foods. The only ones I don’t like are liver and lima beans.
my family was always taste it first but if you don’t like it don’t eat it.
My family was “eat everything on your plate or else” as well.
I’ve had sheep’s liver in Vienna. It had an odd taste.
I like parsnips.
Soup #3 for me.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Is the white stuff on the corcorduse salt, or residual ice from them being frozen? And what do you people have against parsnips?
residual ice.
what do you people have against parsnips – nothing. they give taste to the soup
But borscht?
OT Question: Why do B2B companies feel the need to email me to let me know they’re closed on Memorial Day?
They are testing your spam filters.
Some customers get very mad if you don’t tell them, and they were expecting you to be open.
Yes… I realize none of you will be making this, but I gave the instructions anyway.
I’ll just pick up a jar from the grocery in Little Romania.
Is that an eye staring up from the pot in picture 7?
off course. a delicacy
Thanks, Pie – I am forwarding to my husband and assure you he will want to make it.
can you even get cherry plums in the U S of A?
You can get everyting in the U S of A. If it’s illegal in the US, you can get it in Mexico. It’s the American way!
as someone who eats unripe fruit a lot and who likes bitter things, I can tell you standard plums are unpleasantly bitter, unlike cherry plums which are just pleasantly sour. Off course plums are not the that unpleasantly bitter, unlike say lilac leaves.
I didn’t know people eat lilac leaves
They don’t. It was a dare when inwas a kid due to the awful taste
We order our cherry plums off the dark web.
OT: Mask mandate in Nashua, NH
With a vote of 10-3, the Nashua Board of Aldermen approved the mandate on Thursday night after the city’s Board of Health recently recommended the action to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“If we don’t back up our Board of Health, my God, why do we even have them? Let us show them support,” said Alderman Richard Dowd.
Although the newly-adopted city ordinance does not state a specific fine, the city’s attorney said that in general a violation of a city ordinance carries a maximum fine of up to $1,000 unless stated otherwise. That fine is determined by the court, explained Steve Bolton, corporation counsel for the city.
Some aldermen, including Ben Clemons, were pushing for an initial warning upon a first offense, followed by a $25 fine for a second or subsequent offense, however those recommendations were not supported.
“I can see Nashua becoming a target of right-wing folk who want to demonstrate that they believe this is unconstitutional,” said Clemons, adding he was disappointed that aldermen could not find common ground on a lower fine that focuses more on education and less on punishment.
Punishing people you don’t like is the entire point of politics.
Short thread here.
I saw that. I’ve wondered about cross-immunity before. It seems consistent with the patterns we are seeing (little specific immunity because its not needed, many mild or asymptomatic cases, difficult to pattern spread of the disease, etc.). Here’s hoping it pans out. If so, we are likely very close to functional herd immunity.
Does anyone else remember how SARS led to an unmitigated financial and social disaster, along with millions of deaths, and how it just kept coming back in waves again and again and how we were never able to return to normal again, ever? Yeah, me neither.
That was SARS-1.
This is SARS-2. Totally different.
I’d be interested to see a comparison of the spread, fatality rates, etc. of the two. I wonder how different they actually are.
What I find bewildering are the people who have to pick up the new SARS every single year. Your old SARS was perfectly functional! You’re only encouraging them to make modest improvements between versions!
Well, its designed and made in China. What do you expect? They haven’t been able to get the knack of breaktrhough innovation.
Pseudo-science wins again.
Goddamn right wingers and their unreasonable love of freedom.
And just in the nick of time!
Sad. I was planning to shop at Nashua’s Sam’s Club over the weekend since–unlike Costco–Sam’s Club doesn’t have a nationwide face mask requirement for members. But that Sam’s Club is actually in Hudson. Perhaps I can still shop there without a muzzle.
Yep. Sam’s is across the river in Hudson.
As far as I know, Salem and Nashua are the only places in New Hampshire that have considered a mask mandate. The Salem town government shot down the mask mandate. Nashua’s Board of Alderman jumped in.
People will just start shopping over there.
Yep.
I’m going to cut back on business in Nashua. The place has slowly grown stupider and stupider over the years I’ve lived in southern NH.
The latest boondogle is an Arts Center.
Çorba is Turkish for soup. That is all.
I said it was a turkish word
the local favorite tripe soup is also called skembe
Skembe is Romanian for Menudo. Got it.
Yeah, but do they kick them out at 17 and make them join jeturile?
Peasant food.
yes. tasty peasant food.
Most of my favorite dishes are peasant food. Apropos, considering Pater Dean’s side of the family were the equivalent of peasants in NM until shortly before WWII.
Same here for many things I like. Fried taters, I mean fried anything, collard greens and other assorted weeds and roots.
Mmmmmmm greens and taters.
Few things are better than fried potatos topped with New Mex red sauce.
And by few things, I may mean no things.
*stomach rumbles*
Sometimes we play “What would you have for your last meal on death row?” Pater, Bro, and RC all have red sauce and fried potatos on our menu.
My wife makes a soup called Caldo Verde. It’s collard greens with some sort of broth, totally a peasant dish, and delicious.
So much this!
Thanks Pie – looks good.
The best kind.
My Italian grandmother made amazing peasant food.
But I like borscht!
That last picture looks like the Italian wedding soup I made a couple of weeks ago.
did that have sorrel?
No, it had chopped escarole and Swiss chard, along with slices of fennel bulb.
I think I’m going to grow some Swiss chard this years. I’ve never had it. But there’s one called rainbow and it’s pretty. Hopefully edible as well.
Me too, I plan to plant the chard this weekend
finally some actual rain 6 months of drought.
Too soon man.
/points at Michigan
Of course, the weather prediction is rain today, sun tomorrow, then seven days straight of rain. How many more plagues do we have to go through?
It’s raining here again today. Most of the night last night. I’m sick of rain and this weird chilly weather.
#metoo from Edmonton
Looks good, Pie.
That looks tasty. Tuesday night dinner is set now.
I never would have thought to add a souring agent to a soup, but now I’m intrigued. Thanks Pie.
Hot and Sour soup?
Although in this case, I could never use pickle brine, because I drink it all, lol.
Avgolemono (Greek chicken and lemon soup, usually with rice).
There’s lots of examples of souring agents being used in stews and soups.
I made chili last night. I had it for again for breakfast this morning, it’s so yummy. It will light you right up, in a good way.
Our drive to our fishing trip in Raton NM takes us through Hatch.
We stocked up on red chili powder. Nothing like. The terroir is the real deal. I can eat New Mex red sauce on nearly anything.
*checks clock*
Excellent. Nearly time to scavenge for lunch.
I have some hatch chili powder. I typically use that on corn on the cob, it’s great for that.
Isn’t Hatch pepper the same pepper as Anaheim, only grown in that one place in NM?
Yes.
“I can eat New Mex red sauce on nearly anything.”
Sounds like me with Cayenne pepper sauce, like Louisiana and Crystal. I can practically drink that stuff right out of the bottle.
Peasant food, aka comfort food, it the best food.
Indeed. Rice (I like yellow), eggs, any chicken or pork on hand, a little cheese, a dollop of sour cream… good stuff.
Sunday River Brewing lost its licenses again. According to their facebook page, they are still open.
A Bethel brew pub that’s been clashing with the state about reopening finally got its health and liquor licenses back this week so it could serve customers food and drink again.
It didn’t last long.
Rick Savage, the co-owner of Sunday River Brewing Co., confirmed Friday morning that state officials “took all permits yesterday for not wearing masks.”
The restaurant posted on its Facebook page shortly before noon Friday that it is open for dining and takeout, including canned beer to go, but cannot serve alcohol on the premises.
It is not clear what permits are in jeopardy are involved.
for not wearing masks.
Tell me what law requires that they wear masks.
Its right there in the city charter…duh
Gauleiterin Mills’ plan for reopening restaurants in Maine.
Wait? That’s not a law you say? Well… you just need to be schooled in the BFYTW clause of the Constitution that only the government can see.
In Nevada, the guv separated the casino reopening out of the “phases” on the rest of the state. He might be up against a court challenge because as of right now, casinos are set to open on June 1. We might be in “phase 2” by then but phase 2 doesnt allow in-person church service.
I see a challenge that you are allowing congregation in a casino but not a church as an opening in a 1st Amendment case to be had.
I just saw a news blurb that Trump has threatened to intervene if Governors don’t create a plan for opening places of worship.
We’ve got casinos reopening across the south already.
Well you dont have Herr Sisolak now do you?
Lovely soups.
Gas stove. I’m a little jealous.
You people and your minor cultural differences infuriate me.
Yards Brewing anniversary
On May 18, 1995, Dave Wilby needed a beer engine, and needed it bad.
The young owner of Manayunk’s Dawson Street Pub had scored one of the first three kegs of Yards ESA, and had planned a special happy hour for that Friday. He’d ordered a special hand pump from Europe so he could properly pour the unfiltered English bitter, and even sawed a hole in his wooden bar top to install it. But by Thursday evening, it still hadn’t arrived.
There were no tracking numbers back then, so it took some doing to find out what happened his beer engine. Turned out it was held up at customs. Few other bars in the U.S. used such a device, and officials were worried it might be gun parts. Wilby gave a mini lesson in the burgeoning craft brewing industry as he negotiated for its release.
A good amount of small tits just for Pie.
http://archive.li/aZFTk
Now, I might just be a simple country gay, but I’m pretty sure those are normal sized tits.
??️?
Peasant tits.
Nice bunch. Looked at a few on my phone (still at the office. shhh, don’t tell anyone.). I look forward to seeing the rest later.
Nice collection. I am strangely intrigued by #42.
These look delicious. Thanks Pie
Looks wonderful, Pie!
When I make broth (if I have the time), I often let the bones simmer for a day or so. Ever tried that?
#metoo I always simmer it all day, refilling the pot several times.
I was reading recently that it takes 48 hours to get all the goodness out. I have a bunch of marrow bones in the freezer – may have to give it a try.
Slow cooker solves that…just remember to replenish the water
Yep the longer the simmer the better. You could also roll batch after batch too.
Batch #1 is your base and save.
Barch #2, use #1 as its liquid and reserve some for future bases…
This can off course be done but rarely is as it needs more time and work
We’re still in the “red phase” (Fuck Wolf), but the local putt putt golf course opened for business. Good for them.
http://puttu.com
This is great Pie! I have very vague memories of my great grandmother’s langos, I’m sure she made other dishes you would recognize – but I was too young to remember now. I’ll be sure to check out your other culinary posts.
langos is like a donut around here not a soup at sll
Lol I know, its just the only thing I can remember her making.
It’d be nice if he said the BoR is essential, but this is something I guess.
“The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now–for this weekend,” Trump said. “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors.”
“In America, we need more prayer not less,” Trump said.
The announcement comes after Trump has been hearing concerns of faith leaders who are unable to hold Sunday services due to coronavirus restrictions at a time when their parishioners are grappling with the crisis. Families may be grieving the loss of loved ones from the virus or struggling with job loss but unable to seek respite in their places of worship.
“I consider them essential,” Trump said earlier Friday of houses of worship of all faiths.
Agreed but Trump seems to do 10000 little battles rather than focus on a few big ones.
I would say though with this he has the high ground me thinks.
A simple revision of federal ‘Vid fund eligibility to require that churches be left unmolested would solve this immediately.
Yeah, but Trump will get a lot of free publicity this way and more campaign material.
No different than seatbelt laws tied to federal funding of highways…use it to your advantage and in a good way
OT- Japan’s language gender divide hurts women at work
It’s a perfect article of half truths that will go largely unquestioned as there are fewer western speakers of Japanese compared to other languages. I’m not suggesting that Japanese women don’t struggle for equality in the workplace because they do. But being handicapped by language isn’t the reason.
Spoken Japanese is more gendered than English, but even in English men and women speak differently.
Women who speak Latin Romance languages, hardest hit.
Isn’t all (most?) spanish words Gendered? Is that why latinas makes 50 pesos on the mark for the same work as muchachos?
Same as downtown?
Yes, as well as Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian.
spanish words Gendered
I wonder how the sjw’s cope with that.
Not that the words are gendered like Romance languages – women actually use (mostly) women only words in some situations.
Didn’t one of our Marine veterans mention something about those stationed in Okinawa who learn Japanese from local girlfriends and unknowingly use the female vocabulary?
Yes he did. I thought it was mostly a myth, but it is apparently true!
Too ethnic.
http://archive.li/P1nM4/db96138bd7896b4fa3907fe5e39868bf1def5ed8.jpg
Tasty.
I’ll take number two. And/or her mom.
Gah…Nevada is at nearly 30% unemployment…thanks Obam…..er Sisolak!
https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/nevadas-unemployment-rate-in-april-near-30-percent-2033689/
Hard to argue with that…though why settle for or? 😉
A simple revision of federal ‘Vid fund eligibility to require that churches be left unmolested would solve this immediately.
That only happens when they want more control, not less.
Thanks Pie. Your posts always make me hungry.
When I was a kid my grandma (straight from Slovakia) used to make a cream soup with shredded green pumpkin. Sadly, I never got the recipe. Do you make something like that?
I dont as i hate pumkin there is probably something like that around but not in my family
Great article Pie.
Nevada is at nearly 30% unemployment
If only President Cartoon Villain would have shut the economy down harder and faster!
I forgot that it’s Friday. Today is a furlough day, so not working. I was expecting to find a beer review.
I planted another apple tree today to replace one that had become diseased.
Then I ran an errand into town. Now I need to buy more ammo.
How many rounds did you go through running errands?
None.
Brought home an M1A.
Show off
⬅
Congrats!
Trumpbux?
No trumpbux for kinnath and wife.
It was on the list of rifles I planned to buy.
Springfield is running a special. Buy an M1A and get a free scope mount and two extra magazines.
The retailer filled out all the forms online, scanned my receipt, and filed the Gear-Up application while I waited.
Nice. I’ve been tempted to get the RFB in 308, but I don’t have anywhere to shoot long range.
There is a range about 40 minutes from my house that goes out to 600 yards.
I haven’t been there yet, but will make the trek this summer.
Nice.
For some reason that was the best laugh I had all week. Thanks,RC.
expended too much fending off Wuhan zombies?
I was expecting to find a beer review.
Here you go, sort of:
Bass #1
Drink it regularly. It is your surest protection against colds and flu.
I planted another apple tree today to replace one that had become diseased.
So somebody does read the articles here for the advice! :-p
How many rounds did you go through running errands?
It’s okay. They were all mercy killings.
Like the Vegas guy, he sucessfully put all of his rounds down range where he wanted them.
Looks good, especially for a cool or rainy day.
Thanks!
As a hopeless non-foodie, I apologize that I can’t fully appreciate your article, Pie. I make exactly one kind of soup from scratch – the idiot-simple tortellini soup whose recipe I shared around the holidays – and for that I use the Beef-Broth-in-a-Box.
OT – the weekend home improvement project at Chez GT/TT has begun. We’re re-covering our front stoop & steps with new indoor/outdoor carpet. The ratty old stuff has been removed, as much as possible of the old paint underneath has been scraped/wire-brushed/hosed away, and the pieces of carpet cut, then tested in place to make sure we hadn’t screwed it up. So far, so good. Tomorrow, we glue!
Thats on my to-do list, too.
Whaddaya think – should we add the finishing touch of a proper Dayton stoop goose?
Ugh. My Mom did that.
My last house had a concrete dog.
The Hate Birds that Hate?
Naw, them’s the Canajun kind. These are strictly red-blooded ‘MURICAN geese!
You still made it and should be appreciated! Doesn’t matter if you sub in broth or other items. If it brings the family/friends together, who cares how you got the final product
Thanks! It’s actually what we make when we host my sisters & BIL at Christmas. Fewer timing issues when there’s gifts to be opened!
“I know a lot of weed smokers,” Biden said.
I bet Corn Pop was one.
I see he’s keeping with Herself’s playbook of insulting the people whose votes you need.
It’s a bold strategy.
“I guarantee you, there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple”
He’s got binders full of ’em.
Bi-monthly trip to Sams Club. Why does that place exhaust me so?
Sensory overload. Too much stuff, in ridiculous quantities.
We have this place- https://junglejims.com/
I cant spend more than 15 minutes in there w/o feeling a seizure coming on
What other food store (at least outside the US SW) would have a hot sauce department?
Word to the wise: try to avoid going on the weekend unless you adore crowds.
We have Stew Leonard’s. Great store, fresh cider donuts all day, ice cream bar, growler fills, huge hot food buffet, but… it’s full of whimsical animatronic characters to entertain the children (My kids LOVE the place) so it takes a long time to get through. Also, it’s out Lawn Guyland way so it’s full of some the dumbest, yet self-entitled and mouthy, people on Earth.
When you have two 15 year olds and an 18 year old…there is no such think as ridiculous quantities
It’s Walmart mixed with Costco: aka Hell on Earth.
We went the otherday and I am thinking of cancelling the membership. Just doesn’t have the luster of excess capitalism anymore.
I can only buy one meat? Why come here then!
We go through a shit-ton of Tylenol PM and I can only get one.
Ugh… I feel your pain. We have to bounce between Costco and B.J.’s to procure certain items. At least Costco has lots of food samples.
Oh it angers me mightily.
Grocery store 1: no haz thing I want
Grocery store 2: no haz thing I want (“It was discontinued for us. GS3 might have it.”)
Wait, what? Grocery stores get privilege on some items over others?
Grocery store 3: haz thing I want
I HAVE TO GO TO A STORE I NEVER GO TO TO GET THING I WANT.
Because the supplier won’t give it to 2 stores I go to more.