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Feb 28

The Informed Shopper – Part III – Seafood – Shellfish

“Shellfish” is a large category that covers any aquatic animal, including mollusks, which lacking bones, depends on an encasing shell for stability and protection.  Commonly we use the term “shellfish” to refer to those which have jointed legs and are independently mobile: lobsters, crabs, shrimp; probably because their meat is similar to that of fish. So I’m going to talk about them first, one by one, and leave the clams and company until last, possibly another posting if this takes too long. Read more

Feb 21

The Informed Shopper – Part III – Seafood, Fish

No discussion of the information one needs to be an overall informed shopper would be complete without talking about seafood.  This is a huge topic. So to avoid boring you with pages and pages at one time I’m going to separate it into two posts; fish and shellfish.

The seafood industry, especially concerning fresh fish, has experienced as much expansion, if not more, than the poultry one. Faster transportation, improved refrigeration and freezing methods and the advent of Aquaculture (fish farming) have made fresh fish available in markets all over America, not just along the coasts. Moreover, there’s an abundance of varieties to choose from, many unfamiliar just a few years ago, and more arriving, it seems daily. Read more

Feb 14

The informed shopper – Part II – Poultry

Despite, as predicted, the price of chicken having risen 10% in recent months, it’s still a bargain compared to other meats. The margin is just narrower. Though not the saving it was, its nutritional value, plus its versatility are responsible for chicken being the favorite in the poultry category, but other birds, turkeys, ducks, game hens, to name a few are becoming more visible too. Read more

Feb 7

Some Valentine Ideas

I’m interrupting my discussion on “The Informed Shopper” for the second week in a row, because I realized Valentine’s Day was near. For once, I thought I’d be ahead of the game and write about a holiday comfortably in advance, not the day before. Actually my attention was caught by the supermarket flyers for next week. They featured the usual sales on Fillet Mignon and lobster, for preparing romantic dinners.

My guess is that the popularity of those two on this holiday can be traced back to the fact that they were always the more expensive items on upscale restaurant menus; the ones to be aspired to affording when ordering a romantic dinner for one’s love to prove how much you care. After WWII, when the G.I.s didn’t go back to the farms, but rather to college on the G.I. Bill, into the corporate world and settled into the new housing developments, supermarkets sprung up like weeds, offering a wide variety of products never available in the corner store.  Suddenly, the expense of a fancy restaurant wasn’t necessary. One could prepare these exotic foods for an intimate dinner in the privacy of home and so their romantic aura not only continued but gained momentum. Read more