Trader who?

It is with great pride that I announce I am no longer a Trader Joe virgin! 

confetti falling and balloons dropping

For the past few years I have been invited on trips to and tasted many a snack from, and today I finally stepped foot in.

The adventure was quite overwhelming.  It's a small store full of food gimmicks, if you will.  Certainly you have your peripheral healthy foods like any grocer does; veggies, meat and dairy.  The ground beef and other meats seemed a tad "over packaged" unlike the fresh look you get at say, CUB FOODS where they plop a brick of burger on a pink sheet of Styrofoam and clumsily wrap it with Saran wrap so it appears as though they just finished grinding the cow on site.  TJ's uses very tight and sturdy sealing with labels that look as though they were crafted at scrap camp.  Although lovely to look at, I'm wondering how long the meat sat around waiting for all this fanciness to be assembled!

Speaking of cows, if you haven't seen the movie Temple Grandin, you should see it immediately.  Wonderful film!

Anyway, I then found the frozen isle which was somewhat of an appetizer circus.  They had it all.  Fun foods galore!  Goat cheese pastry pinwheels in my cart please.  Ooooh, salmon and spinach crepes!  What's this?  Swiss Gruyere flat bread with roasted onions?  Mmmmm.  Soooo glad we have an extra freezer in the basement!  Step aside venison chops and pizzas, Trader Joe's is movin' in.  Of course I didn't dare get too many of these fun foods and opted instead for items that my lovely man could enjoy as well, such as potato cakes and chicken verde burritos. (Save some for me please!).  Did I mention the candy cane ice cream?  It was a toss up between that and the pumpkin ice cream or mango sherbet.  Next time!

I was just about finished with my frozen gluttony when this obnoxious desire to flee came over me.  I wanted to abandon ship and run.  This was absurd!  I don't need this happy crap!  I'm not hosting any upcoming event anytime soon.  But I stayed with my cart and shamefully exited this isle of delight for more practical things, like cereal. 

I brought a few of the items to work.  The jalapeno cashews were VERY spicy, and I'm a spicy kinda gal but these left blisters.  The fresh cob salad was less than exciting and the lobster sushi tasted like a tuna salad sandwich wrap somehow.  I pray this isn't indicative of how my freezer goods at home will measure up! 

Lunch tomorrow..steamed Gyoza with gyoza dipping sauce!  Can't wait.  Actually, I'm hoping it all sucks.  I really do not want to ever go back to that store because there were sooooo many fun items I refused to even glance at that I'm afraid I'll cave.

Maybe I need a Trader Joe contraceptive...pronto!