These groceries are going to fix everything
There’s something irresistible about buying groceries. Wandering through the fresh produce section, picking up and putting down perfectly plump vegetables. Pretending I’m suddenly going to be the kind of person who eats fruit every day. Eyeing off a lamb shoulder like it’s perfectly reasonable to cook a whole roast for one person for a Tuesday night dinner.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve convinced myself that buying “good” groceries will magically turn me into someone who cooks consistently. I’ve tried everything: fruit and veg box deliveries, meal kits, carefully written shopping lists, completely winging it, shopping hungry, shopping full… I’ve even bought the same six vegetables that went mouldy in the fridge the week before. Spoiler alert: none of it has solved the eating dilemma.
The groceries make it home and sometimes even get unpacked (though occasionally they spend a night or two sulking in the bags). For a brief, glorious moment the fridge is full of potential: fresh veg, healthy options, dinners waiting to be made. Except… the follow-through doesn’t always happen.
Over the years it's led to a habit of accidental food hoarding. When Mum visited once, she opened my pantry and declared that I had “the most interesting things.” She wasn’t wrong. On reflection, my pantry is absurd. Things I’ve acquired with zero plan include: orange blossom water, green banana flour, dried shiitake mushrooms, nutritional yeast, coconut flour… and that’s just what springs to mind before I even open the door to its mysterious shelves of unknown potential.
Is this not a wonderland full of possibilities?
Wholefood-style stores are my particular weakness. I don’t fall into that trap often, but when I do, it’s dangerous. This week, I wandered into one after an appointment and was immediately hypnotised by the tubs of of beans and lentils. I imagined plunging my hands into them like a kid in a ball pit. I pictured myself cooking exotic dishes with besan flour and entertained the fantasy that I’m the kind of person who grinds their own peanut butter in-store.
Probably wouldn’t rush back for more coffee beans
This time it didn’t go too badly. My haul was modest — just under $50. Here’s what came home with me:
Pine nuts
Ceylon tea
Quick oats
Coffee beans
Vegan chicken stock
Pistachios
Coconut husk dish scrubbie
For once, I think I did okay. These are things I’ll actually use, rather than letting them gather dust until pantry moths arrive in 18 months. The coffee beans were a slight risk — not as fresh as I’d like — but still drinkable. Everything else is in medium-to-high rotation, so it feels like a win.
I scratched the itch in my brain without going completely overboard. These groceries might not fix everything… but at least they won’t end up mouldering in the back of the fridge.
