[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Something I’ve noticed about TJ. For all of its granola California feel, the place is packed with the unhealthiest shit.

More so than any other grocery store? I go there for specific offerings that I can't get anywhere else - cauliflower gnocchi, a wider variety of GF and DF ingredients and food, a decent selection of wine, better cheese selections, and some niche stuff like coconut cold brew concentrate and dark chocolate peanut butter cups ($4.50/16oz vs. $6.29/4oz at Target).

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

More so than any other grocery store?

No, but I’d aver TJ isn’t positioning itself as just another grocery store. It’s the place one goes to get weird shit no one ever eats willingly.

Originally Posted by Laminar 

cauliflower gnocchi

[Laminar]

All amazing:

https://iowagirleats.com/crispy-gnoc...orn-and-basil/

https://iowagirleats.com/cheesy-gnocchi-florentine/

https://www.chrislovesjulia.com/pan-...cetta-gnocchi/

And you need to get your story straight: Is TJs a granola-hippy-California-everything-is-healthy store or a weird-ass-foods-that-no-one-actually-wants store?

[subego]

As amazing as ricotta gnocchi?

Weird-ass-foods-that-no-one-actually-wants isn’t interchangeable with granola-hippy-California-everything-is-healthy?

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by subego 

No, but I’d aver TJ isn’t positioning itself as just another grocery store. It’s the place one goes to get weird shit no one ever eats willingly.

You’ve apparently never been to a TJ’s if that’s your impression. The place is filled with perfectly normal stuff most people would eat.

[subego]

I’m drawing a distinction between how they brand themselves, which is granola California, and what they are, which to me is cookie butter sandwich cookies, a normal food a normal oinker like myself would want.

[andi*pandi]

They have staples, but frankly it's the variety we like. We would try cauliflower gnochi. Dark choc pb cups, yes please. Random cookies, side dishes, frozen indian meals...

[subego]

My TJ is a farther walk than Kroger, so I rarely go except when I want more diabetes.

In the past, when I was entertaining I would put in the extra effort to go there and get these:

https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-S...rb_top?ie=UTF8

Which they don’t make anymore.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

I’m drawing a distinction between how they brand themselves, which is granola California,

Come to think of it I don't ever think I've seen any ads or branding for TJs. I guess the employees wear Hawaiian shirts and they have their pronouns on their nametags but other than that I don't know what they're going for.

[subego]

They used to have circulars, which were patterned off the Whole Earth Catalog. The WEC is pretty granola in my book.

[ghporter]

I like the local (ish...it's not even a "short drive" from home) TJ's. The one I shop at has great produce, a variety of meats, and fish, and some pretty interesting seasonal stuff.

Having shopped at Whole Foods' Lamar Blvd original location, and having seen how WF "evolved", I think Trader Joe's is doing a pretty good job staying on brand.

Here in Central Texas, there used to be another chain that featured clean, organic, responsibly raised foods; Sun Harvest. They actually competed with Whole Foods in Austin and did well until WF went yuppie/foodie. Only Whole Foods had the corporate resources to do both organic and "not at all good for you" foods at the same time, and Sun Harvest started to lose market share.

Eventually, they were acquired by another chain: Sprouts Farmer's Market. There is one of these about a mile from my house, and we shop at that store occasionally. Again, they have a nice variety of good food, but they also have "interesting stuff" that is either super out there or extremely "gourmand-oriented". They can't beat H-E-B, the local chain for most things, but they have bulk fruits and nuts, and sometimes their beer or wine selection is worthwhile.

Meanwhile, H-E-B decided to counter the idea that "you can only get healthy, organic foods at Whole Foods" by introducing a new internal brand, "H-E-B Central Market", along with converting some of their larger stores to increase focus on the "natural" stuff. The thing is, H-E-B foods are good. Made of "food" instead of "ingredients", and often surprisingly healthier - even their "not natural" foods.

Long ago we decided that visiting Whole Foods was sort of like visiting a theme park, especially the corporate headquarters/anchor store at 6th and Lamar in Austin. Yes, we buy some stuff there, but we don't focus on what they have that other stores don't. Instead, we look at new and interesting stuff and give it a try.

Trader Joe's is a place we go to now and then for what we like and that we know they carry. No organic aura or implication that they have healthier food than H-E-B or Sprouts. It's fun to shop at a place that's quite different from our usual grocer, but because of my experience with how Whole Foods went from "a bunch of hippies who wanted everybody to have access to healthy food" to a mega-corporation that sold out to Amazon, I read labels carefully and don't buy hype or trend.

[subego]

I’ve mentioned it before but it bears repeating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamba_(snack)

Basically cheese puffs, but with peanut butter instead of cheese as the flavor. More pleasant mouth feel than cheese puffs. They’re chewier.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

That’s basically the Israeli version of snack food. There’s always a bag or two kicking around my house “for the kids”

[Laminar]

Where were we talking about HERR'S chips? I picked up a bag of Fire Roasted Sweet Corn chips (at Menards?) for a boating trip and thoroughly enjoyed them. Wife couldn't believe how they got chips to taste like sweet corn.

[subego]

Hot honey, like pickleball, is now a thing, so I tried Mike’s Hot Honey® flavored Utz. I have a fairly low heat tolerance, but figured it would be on the milder side, which indeed it is.

Not bad, but I prefer the Carolina Barbecue.

[Brien]

Utz used to make a Hawaiian spicy luau BBQ potato chip, but it seems to be discontinued. Good stuff.

[Thorzdad]

The Meijer chain of big-box stores sells their house-brand Sweet Heat BBQ potato chips that have a surprisingly high level of heat to them. I’m not a potato chip guy, but I like these. Of course, they have that odd not-really-bbq “bbq” flavor that seemingly all bbq chips have, but that’s kind of expected.

[ghporter]

I think of that flavor as “BBQ chip flavor” and move on.