A grocery trip to "Centra"

In Mr. Fixit's grandmother's German-English vernacular, one particular grocery store was always referred to as "die Centra." That's survived intact in family lingo, as has the store--the last large independent grocery store in this area.

In the early days of the Squirrel marriage we used to live quite near die Centra; also, they used to have great deals on canned goods so we'd go there and stock up. The only problem with these deals was that the cans were dumped in big bins or in big piles--so half of them ended up with dents and bangs in them. If you didn't mind the dents, you could get some good prices. But if you went during any of the busy times, you also had to fight off all the old ladies shopping at "die Centra," especially around the meat counter.

It's been awhile--actually a really long time--since we've been over there, and since we were low on groceries and had a free evening, Mr. Fixit, Mama Squirrel, and Ponytails decided to check out what was new at the old store.

Okay--first of all, they messed up our heads by changing the in to the out door and the out to the in. "Die Centra" was already laid out in a confusing way (the checkouts are kind of in the middle of the store), but now you feel like you're going in the wrong way.

However: since they're an indie store, they have a wide and, we'll say, idiosyncratic combination of food items. Store-brand items from both of the big chains. All kinds of cheese. Gluten-free cake mixes and frozen pizza crusts, soy cheese (Grandma would have a fit), and rice milk. A whole rack of Caribbean canned goods. And still German-style sausage and beef cut thin to make rouladen. (Usually you have to go to a butcher shop for that.)

I also found a box of childrens' books marked for a dollar apiece: I picked up Troll biographies of Rachel Carson and Narcissa Whitman, and a book about nighttime critters. OH--and freezer paper to go with some learn-to-sew books we bought a long time ago. I'd looked all over the place and couldn't find it--should have known.

We came out (out the in door--no, it's the out door now) a bit more loaded down than we'd expected--Mr. Fixit couldn't pass up the meat deals, and we needed to boost our pitifully-low veggie and fruit supply. I suppose an evening of grocery shopping does cost more than a movie, but at least you can eat your entertainment afterwards.