Well, anyone who knows me in real life knows that I love Trader Joe's. Let me elaborate: I don't just love Trader Joe's, I LOVE Trader Joe's (TJs). I've actually made decisions where to live based on the proximity to Trader Joe's and, furthermore, currently use the presence/absence/density of TJs locations to define a state's acceptability for habitation. TJs addict roll call? *sheepish hand raising*
Now anyone who's shopped at TJs knows that, in addition to the economically priced staples (e.g., tomato sauce, breads, cheeses, wines), one of the most appealing aspects of shopping there is that every now and then you'll encounter a product that you wouldn't ever expect to see at a "normal" grocery store, and sometimes even a product you wouldn't anticipate being made for human consumption. It's probably pathetic to liken grocery shopping with opening up Christmas presents, but I'll go there: shopping at TJs is fun because you get (pleasant) surprises more often than not.
The flip-side of this culinary creativity is that if there is an item that you like, there is a chance that it may be discontinued. Or, if there is an item that you try and hate, there's a good chance that will go away in a matter of time. (Fortunately, TJs will allow you to return anything that you're not satisfied with. And trust me when I say that it's not just lip service: I've returned a partly consumed bag of oranges. They were dry, OK? ) We'll liken these items to the garish holiday sweaters that nobody but your sartorially insane aunt thought would be a good idea.
One of the more recent discoveries, which unfortunately appears to be a holiday (drats!) item, was Speculoos cookie spread. Now our European brethren are probably rolling their eyes at the banality of this discovery, but for us Americans, Speculoos is everything that peanut butter should be. However, this post isn't about the wonders of Speculoos, so I'll move right along to my main point: Trader Joe's, making Korean food accessible to the masses.
Now anyone who's shopped at TJs knows that, in addition to the economically priced staples (e.g., tomato sauce, breads, cheeses, wines), one of the most appealing aspects of shopping there is that every now and then you'll encounter a product that you wouldn't ever expect to see at a "normal" grocery store, and sometimes even a product you wouldn't anticipate being made for human consumption. It's probably pathetic to liken grocery shopping with opening up Christmas presents, but I'll go there: shopping at TJs is fun because you get (pleasant) surprises more often than not.
The flip-side of this culinary creativity is that if there is an item that you like, there is a chance that it may be discontinued. Or, if there is an item that you try and hate, there's a good chance that will go away in a matter of time. (Fortunately, TJs will allow you to return anything that you're not satisfied with. And trust me when I say that it's not just lip service: I've returned a partly consumed bag of oranges. They were dry, OK? ) We'll liken these items to the garish holiday sweaters that nobody but your sartorially insane aunt thought would be a good idea.
One of the more recent discoveries, which unfortunately appears to be a holiday (drats!) item, was Speculoos cookie spread. Now our European brethren are probably rolling their eyes at the banality of this discovery, but for us Americans, Speculoos is everything that peanut butter should be. However, this post isn't about the wonders of Speculoos, so I'll move right along to my main point: Trader Joe's, making Korean food accessible to the masses.
TJs routinely and whimsically plays on "Trader Joe's" branding with "Trader Jose," "Trader Giotto," and the like. I guess it's only a matter of time there'd be a "Trader Kim." OK, so they're not actually re-branding these items under "Trader Kim" but a girl can always imagine, right?
I noticed that it started small. First it was the Korean-style marinated galbi. Then it was the Korean-style chicken wings (a bit salty). Later it was the snack-pack of dried seaweed. Then came the instant coffee and now....drumroll please....dried Jeju Mandarin Oranges and Kimchi Fried Rice!
So, why do I love these products?
These mandarin orange slices are AWESOME. I've actually been to the island where these mandarin oranges grow but did not have the opportunity to sample any fruit. I guess the growing season is indeed short. I'm not universally a fan of dried fruit. For instance, I love dried apricots, peaches, plums (yes, PRUNES), but I hate dried bananas, coconut, and other random fruit. You would think that if you liked fruit x in its natural form, that you would appreciate it dried. Not always true. Normally I like oranges but won't really bother with mandarin oranges or clementines or other fruits that I deem too much work. My brother, on the other hand, will kill an entire box of Cuties on his own. Somehow we are related. However, despite my normal aversion to small citrus, I really love the dried mandarin oranges because it's all the flavor and acidity of the fruit with no mess and no fuss. No wet, sticky fingers coated in orange oil. Plus, unlike other fruits (I'm pointing at you, bananas), I really think dried mandarins maintain their essence -- google Aristotle if you'd like to go on a very long philosophical tangent. It also doesn't hurt that these mandarins are simply just that with nothing else, like added sugars or drying agents, detracting from it.
The only downside of this product is that it is fairly expensive. It's nearly $4 USD for what seems to weigh as much as a hamster's backpack. Use your imagination. :PI only hope TJs continues to carry this product for a while. I've been lucky as of late. The only product that I really missed for a long while was the Thai curry tuna, which they eventually brought back after finding a new tuna supplier. Sorry, tunas, but why are you so tasty?
As for the fried rice, it is really flavorful, authentic, and relatively inexpensive ($2-$3 for 14 oz.) for the work involved in making fried rice. Yes, making fried rice in itself is not expensive, but my biggest dilemma is always that I can never limit myself to buying this teeny tiny jar of kimchi, which is never enough to make anything worthwhile, so I end up getting the LARGE jar, which then means that hubby and I are eating kimchi at every meal, every day for a solid week. (No, there don't appear to be any 2-person family appropriately sized jars of kimchi.) I'll just say that while kimchi is great for....umm...the digestive system, it can get monotonous pretty quickly. This way you can get a quick, flavorful meal without being married to your giant, stinky jar of kimchi for days on end.
Other products that I love include the Parisian macarons (the vanilla ones are divine!), the mango soy ice cream, par baked Ciabatta bread (wish all breads came par baked), Thai curry tuna, spicy Jalapeno chicken sausage (no pork casing!), and a variety of other things.
TJs, you complete me.
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