Fargo

[shakatany]

There are people who rave about shopping in Manhattan but I am in love with the stores here especially the supermarkets. Back home the supermarkets aren't very super being small with a relatively limited selection. Here in Fargo we shop at the "small" Hornbacher's which is humongous I shudder to think what the big ones are like. It has practically every brand and every variety of brand available. There is a bakery on the premises and for me, the biggest draw was the tea selection. There are places in NY where you can choose among a variety of coffee beans that you can fill bags with to bring home and grind yourself. They have that here but they also have the same for teas - offering a variety of loose teas that you pour into paper bags and bring home a steep yourself with or without a tea caddy. I've tried a blueberry blend and one with mango and I love them. I may have to ask CM to send care packages to me *g*

Comments

[dolnmoon.livejournal.com]

OK I love shopping in Manhattan but I do hate your markets except for the fresh produce and fish markets. Your food markets suck!! Your selection is so limited because they are all small scattered store fronts like mom and pop sized stores. I think that is because the area is such a mass transit and pedestrian driven society that people tend to shop daily for fresh food to prepare that day instead of large weekly amounts, so they don't really worry all that much about variety in brand or type selection. You also have tons of food stores because of the amount of communities clustered together where the residents rarely venture outside of them, so every few blocks in the mainstream areas you have a food market. LOL
We drive miles to a super market but they have huge selections of everything. LOL

I love bulk tea,(there is nothing like brewing fresh tea with your own steeper) we also have bulk dried produce, cereal, grains, and bakeing products (ie, flour, sugar, spices).

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Well in Manhattan we do have true supermarkets but they are tiny compared to their brethren as the rents are so high. Unfortunately there are areas that are "food deserts" where the only food sources in the neighborhood are bodegas (with limited selections of fresh fruits and vegetables) and fast food restaurants all of which are contributing factors to the obesity epidemic in low income areas.
In upscale areas we have many gourmet food stores that have a variety of foods from around the world (and I'm sure there is a store or two that offers a variety of loose teas too) but here in Fargo the supermarkets that ordinary folk shop at have foreign offerings as well as all the national brands and that's what I admire about Fargo and other places I've visited.

Shakatany