Food for thought

Turia recently posted a detailed look at how COVID-19 has affected all the work related to food in her household. "I feel like I am thinking about, worrying about, discussing, preparing, cleaning up after, and, oh yes, eating food ALL. THE. TIME," she writes.

She asks, "What’s your grocery shopping experience been like? Are you braving the stores or ordering online or both? Any shortages that have surprised you?"

Meanwhile, Mali commented on a recent post of Mel's:  "It IS hard. You’re right – I miss the little things where we could “pop out” and do all sorts of things. My husband has been doing the shopping for us once a week when he does his father’s shopping – but I really miss getting to choose what I want/need/decide to pick up when I see it on the shelf. lol I’m going to have to go shopping soon."

I noted Mali's comment because I could have written it!  & I did, in a rambling sort of way, in commenting on Turia's post. Here's a (slightly edited) version of what I said to her:

*** *** ***

Well, we’re just shopping for the two of us — but yeah, we are spending a lot more on groceries than we ever have — partly because we’re eating all our meals at home now (we used to have lunch out several days a week — mostly fast food type stuff (soup, pizza slices, submarine sandwiches), but still eating out, and then a nicer dinner out on Saturday nights), and partly because we’ve been stockpiling some stuff too. Our cupboard/closet & fridge/freezer compartment space is limited in a condo — but aside from milk & bread & maybe a few other things, we have enough meat, pasta & canned goods to eat out of our cupboards for several weeks (and maybe not even get too bored).

Our grocery bills have also been higher because dh has been doing all the shopping (and he prefers to go into the store and pick out his/our own stuff versus ordering online & picking up — which may be slightly less risky, but as you’ve pointed out, comes with its own set of problems). He doesn’t care (or think) to look for bargains — plus (and I agree here), if you need it and you’ve been looking for it and it’s been hard to find because, pandemic, are you really going to quibble about paying a few dollars or cents extra?

I’m finding it frustrating not to be going into the store with him… I know they only want one person per family to go in, and I understand why, and dh prefers to be the one taking on the risks — but I would really like to see for myself what’s there and what’s not. My shopping priorities/wish list are not always the same as his. I will often see & grab something from the shelf that I will realize in the moment that we need or could use or that it’s a good buy; he will notice & grab different things that I might not think or notice (or care about).

For example, I’ve asked him several times now to get a refill package of ground cinnamon, which I like to have on my oatmeal for breakfast… he still hasn’t bought it. He doesn’t like cinnamon, so it’s not a priority or top of mind for him (& he doesn’t always bring a grocery list with him, or consult it while he’s going through the store — granted, it’s not as easy to pull out of your pocket when you’re wearing gloves…!)… meanwhile, I watch the cinnamon bottle get emptier…! I would like to be eating more fresh fruits & veggies; he doesn’t trust those right now (who knows who’s been touching them?) so he hasn’t been buying them, or as much of them, and frozen doesn’t always cut it. I am watching my refill bottle of liquid hand soap getting emptier and emptier and asked him to look for that (and I know hand soap is something that isn’t always available when you want/need it) — but he thinks we have lots and don’t need to worry about it yet — and even uses a squirt of soap from the hand soap bottle by the sink to soak the dishes in because it’s more convenient than reaching under the counter for the bottle of actual dish soap (!! — grrrr….!). But he will come home with two gigantic bags of SmartPop popcorn, because that’s HIS priority…! lol

I’m just waiting for the day when I run out of some of my personal care items, like hair mousse or deoderant or cotton makeup removal pads, and have to try to get him to look for THOSE on my behalf….! I am rather brand particular and if I can’t get what I want, I’d prefer to be the one seeing what’s available & deciding what the next-best substitute would be. There’s a lot of stuff (both in terms of groceries & personal care items) I would like to go out & buy that isn’t necessarily a necessity… it may or may not even be available. I could probably get along without them or make some kind of substitution. But if they are available, it would make life easier and more pleasant & more normal for me.

Sigh…

Oh yes, as for shortages — as I said, I haven’t been able to see these things for myself — but dh reports that, after the initial couple of weeks when shelves were pretty bare of everything, most things seem to be available again (including toilet paper). Cleaning stuff has still been harder to come by (he says those shelves are still pretty bare), but he did bring home a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner recently and he scored a bottle of Lysol spray cleaner for me on his last shopping expedition. He hasn’t had any problems finding meat so far.

P.S. I do recognize that while I can afford to buy stuff at a more expensive price tag than what I’d normally pay, not everyone has that flexibility…

(Turia responded:  "Yes, I think about that a lot too. This is stressful and time-consuming for us, and we have the financial security to pay whatever price we need to pay to get the food we need. If Q. and I (the ultra-privileged) are finding this challenging, how difficult must it be for those less fortunate?!")

*** *** ***

Some food-related stuff I didn't mention in my response to Turia:

• Dh does most of the cooking & menu planning for us, although I chip in my $.02 on what we should have to eat, and will help out, especially in putting together more complex dishes/stuff for the crockpot, etc., when he lets me in the kitchen. ;)  He started doing the cooking many years ago, when we were working & commuting... he'd come home, change his clothes & be downstairs in about 5 minutes flat (and very hungry), whereas I wanted to take off my makeup first as well as my work clothes before thinking about supper. By the time I got downstairs, he often had dinner in the oven, or almost ready to go. He's continued to be the chief cook even since we both retired. 
• I've always been someone who likes to have a fully stocked pantry... perhaps a throwback to both my mother & grandmother. Dh is (or has been) the opposite, doesn't like having too much stuff cluttering up the cupboards & fridge, has always felt that if we need something, we can just go out & get it. He has changed his tune now...!  
• We haven't been ordering takeout or delivery since this all began. I was willing to give it a try, but dh was reluctant to take on the risk. Then two weekends ago, he was talking to his brother, who said they were having Swiss Chalet rotisserie chicken (a family favourite) for dinner -- procured via drive-through. Guess what we had for dinner last Saturday night??  ;) lol  (I checked and our favourite pizza restaurant -- a local business with a wood oven, not a chain restaurant -- is offering takeout... I'm thinking dinner for this Saturday night?)