Recently I started my family on a Gluten Free Diet. My 7 year old has several health issues that may be attributed to an intolerance to gluten, so to determine whether that is the case, I have implemented a 3 week elimination diet. That's 3 weeks gluten free.
But I digress, ... so, my usual grocery stomping grounds consist of ShopRite, Pathmark & Super Stop N Shop. I suppose I should say this right up front. I'm not a lover of food... I'm an eater of food. I enjoy a good meal, but I could eat pizza every day of the week and be happy. My kids have a couple of favorites and only the older 2 are even willing to eat something new... and only the oldest will eat a new green item without a battle. (My kids are 4, 5, & 7)
In my quest for easy to prepare clearly labeled Gluten Free items.... I headed over to our local Trader Joes.
Now, most of you know... if I don't have to go into the office... I'm not getting into the shower. On a good day, that's nothing a clean pair of cut-offs and NY Yankees cap can't fix. Today was no different. I was sans children as I picked the day their father had visitation for my first foray, to aisles of TJ's (as it is known to the locals).
The Appearance: My first impression was good. It was clean and well laid out. It had a wood floor, while I don't know it if was recycled wood, it certainly looks like it was salvaged from an old barn or ship. The products appeared to ALL have hand drawn labels. Like a high school art major gone wild with markers! Circling, swirling, lots of colors... big handwritten easy to read letters. (My 43 year old lazy brain thought, "I wonder if I can get that font for my computer")
The Products: At a glance, EVERYTHING appears to be organic. I only found the following items specifically labeled gluten free: 5 cheese spaghetti sauce, brown rice spaghetti noodles, 1 loaf of really hard bread, (this I didn't buy), granola, Many Many Chips and Snacky things.
The one thing I wanted. pizza. not there.
The Employees: Very very nice. The check out counter is also wood. The check out person is nice and chatty. AND when I say chatty, I don't mean chatting with the person bagging about the party they went to, or about getting their 4 inch long nails done... they chatted with me. They looked me in the eye. They smiled. The check out was a real human experience. nice.
The Patrons: Now, first let me say, I looked like I totally fit in. I supposed if someone had looked closer they would have noticed that I was wearing the Walmart version of crocs and that I had cut-off my own jeans and the distressed look was authentic, in that I had distressed my jeans over the course of the 10 years I had owned them! AND, I got the impression that the people with children were on a game show called, "Look what a good parent I am" Each contestant was challenged to elevate their preschoolers vocabulary to college level in 10 minutes. (ok, that was a little harsh, but you know what I mean) for all that, the people were
nice.
The Prices: I purchased about 4 bags of chips, spaghetti sauce and noodles, 3 boxes of frozen waffles, granola, (I think that's it) and it came to $28.00. Not too bad. All of the items were organic and gluten-free. I later found that the pricing for the items is around the same as the Super Stop N Shop (although I couldn't find gluten free spaghetti sauce at the stop n shop)
Overall Impression: I like the store, but I didn't find much I needed. I was disappointed by the lack of gluten free items. There were a few... but not many. (I later found that almost all of the items I found at Trader Joe's were also available at my Super Stop N Shop)
AND, Although the employees certainly didn't make me feel strange, the other patrons all seemed to be in the same "club". Perhaps it was my insecurities... my own love for the prepackaged meal... but I felt like an impostor.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a great selection of wholesome, organic food and intelligent and friendly service... Trader Joe's is an great and pretty inexpensive solution.
If you are looking for gluten free, not so much.
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