First Lidl, not already Aldi!

 Aldi opened on Wednesday and I went that evening to check it out. I've been in Aldis before, mostly when I am in Pittsburgh, but sometimes in New York. Even earlier this summer on my trip to downtown Brooklyn, I went to both Lidl and Aldi and only liked Aldi.

Well, now I only like Lidl. The basket situation at Aldi is even worse. The prices are fine, but I don't know if the food seems as good. And I waited about 10 minutes in line, which is more than I've waited combined total at Lidl and the new Whole Foods on Grand St. Aldi doesn't have self checkout and they have separate lines for each register instead of 1 feeder line. So it's slow.

I bought a big bag of tortilla chips for about $3.90 and a flavored sparkling water for 80¢ I think. I drank it when I got home and it was gross.

I just got back from Lidl though where I got chicken breast for $1.59/lb, shredded Mexican cheese for $2.50/lb (other places charge $2.50 for 8 oz), and a bunch of reasonably priced flour tortillas. I'm making quesadillas tonight for old times sake.

Coconut Milk in Pittsburgh

I just got back from a week in Pittsburgh. Delallo's had cheaper food than I expected, including a little glass jar of anchovies for $3.33 or so. I should have stocked up. I taught my brother how to make green curry while I was there. It involved buying a tub of it on Amazon then getting some coconut milk. We went to every store and it was so expensive. We checked Aldi, Shop n Save, Giant Eagle, and Walmart. I think the best we found was $1.60 at Target (that was after we got it somewhere else).

Then I looked through this week's Food Bazaar ad back in Brooklyn.

WTF is going on with Associated?

I am quite cross. Associated seems to be trying to become Key Food.

Not all Associateds, of course. This blog is about the 5-6 stores closest to my apartment. And for a long time, there has been an Associated on Grand between Manhattan and Leonard. But Key Food branded products have started showing up. And I went there after perusing the online Associated circular (which still lists it) and found all the sales wrong. I thought I was out of my gourd (was a gourd on special? who knows!) but I found a different circular for only "Ozzie's Fresh Market" without mention of Associated or Key Food.

Also they are requiring an Ozzie's loyalty card to get some deals now.

I don't like any of this. I don't like another Key Food that is worse than the original. I don't like needing another card. I don't like the circular not being online. I don't like their stupid music that is always interrupted by announcements about what is on sale that repeats the prices so many times. I hope it goes out of business. I hope it becomes Aldi.

I'm fed up.

Also, the prices are worse.

Back in Brooklyn

I would trade 3 of the 5 grocery stores within 4 blocks of my apartment for 1 Aldi. I miss it.

Anyway, I am shopping for 2 parties. A funeral and a New Years Eve Party.

Grapefruits are half the price of oranges at Associated, 4 for $3 vs 2 for $3.

Nowhere has bags of chicken quarters like I want to make cold jerk chicken (the 3 words that describe me best).

Nowhere has blocks of cheese for cheap that I need for my cheese balls.

It's too cold (22 degrees) to travel to the distant stores. But I'll check just in case.

Oysters aren't even on sale at Food Bazaar. Clams are though. ($4.99/doz)