To make up for being so negligent I have decided to do another post for you tonight. I really could tell you about the funeral I went to yesterday but I think after the last post maybe I should do something not quite so heavy. So I am here to talk to you this evening about grocery shopping in the North!
In some of the larger communities people do not have to order quite so many groceries because they often have 2 grocery stores (generally a Co-Op and a Northern Store) where things may sometimes be more expensive but I'm pretty sure it works out even. Here in Aupaluk we have 1 Co-Op! The things at the Co-Op are very expensive and not always edible.... the potatoes have fuz, the milk is 3 months past due, and I swear I saw a loaf of bread walk out the door one time! The Co-Op is great for avacado though, especially if you want to make guacomole!
Here in Aupaluk we order or groceries from "down south" which basically means Montreal. Every weekend I look at my cupboard and fridge and decide what I'm missing, then I think what meals I will want to make and if there is a get-together on the weekend what I will want to bring, then I make a list.
You can order from Metro or IGA and each is better for different things. If I am ordering produce of any kind or anything that needs to be packaged carefully it is always Metro. The people who work there take a lot of care to pick the best fruit and vegetables, they always package them nicely so there is less chance of things breaking. So, every saturday or sunday I look that the metro flyer, make a list of what I want and email it to the office. Generally orders need to be in by monday morning so they can be sent on tuesday. For IGA you shop by viewing and selecting the products online, and the order must be in by sunday in order to be in that week. Any orders made later are processed too late and if your groceries come in on the weekend there is nobody to pick them up at the airport for you! Also as a rule IGA's packing is terrible and any fruits or vegetables are not up to par which can be frustrating. And unlike Metro who will call if they do not have something or will give you red apples if the green ones don't look good, IGA will either not send it at all or will send you the brown broccoli (I hate that!)
So you ask what is IGA good for... excellent question! They send wine and beer while Metro will only send beer... so IGA gets a few points! Plus they do have some good sales on sometimes and because their packing is sub-standard it is cheaper!
So after spending a lot of time planning your grocery order on a sunday all you can do is wait. Grocery delivery day which is usually wednesday or thursday evening can go one of two ways. If all goes well it's like Christmas morning when you get exactly what you asked for... or it can be a total disappointment and you feel like you're being punished and you just recieved the ugliest sweater ever! I spend wednesday night listening for the plane to land and hoping for a knock at the door and a few beautiful boxes full of goodies. When it doesn't come you go to bed so dissapointed you feel someone just stomped on your heart! Then sometimes it does come but things you ordered are missing and after carefully planning each item this can suck too. Sometimes these things come later but sometimes they never come at all. Sometimes you find yourself so counting on your wednesday night delivery that you don't make dinner until late and when it doesn't arrive you are too sad to care about dinner and your dinner becomes Special K or some toast (if you have milk or bread that is).
I have never liked grocery stores, I have always tried to plan my grocery shopping at the least busy time possible, I hate the crazy shoppers and often have to breath through urges to run people over with the cart. So I thought when I came here that having groceries delivered would be fabulous... it is just a different evil. Now I have to make sure I have not forgotten anything, try not to think of anything new before the groceries do arrive, and hope they get here on time and in one piece. Waiting is way harder than having to go myself, at least if I pick out my own apples I know what I'm going home with.
Furthermore, you can't get everything you get at home! Two words come to mind here... Ice Cream!!!! You never know where your groceries will be left, if they will make it to the freezer section or if they will sit on the runway for a while... the last thing you want is a box of ice cream soup to arrive.
This week I ordered my groceries. I ordered from Metro because I thought I had a better chance of getting everything as it was a long weekend, further I was out of apples! I had my order in on monday morning as always, I was lucky that they were able to reach me when they needed to to replace a few things and so had a good feeling about my groceries this week. Yesterday, our usual delivery day was the funeral, I was a bit afraid for the first time ever that they would arrive then. If the groceries came Emma would probably be too busy with funeral things to get them for me.... still when the power went just as the plane was to land I was sad. They did come today however, while I was at school, and as I looked out my window and saw the school truck pull up to my house I did a little dance! There was a casualty this week however, a jar of green olives smashed and leaked everywhere! Happily it didn't take the rest of the contents with it.... unlike the time a tub of yogurt exploded last month.
So, next time you forgot something and you complain that you have to go back to the store think of me in Aupaluk where if I forgot something I have to wait for an order and an airplane. Enjoy your ice cream all!
Lots of Love,
K.
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