An Unexpected Perk

As mentioned earlier, Julian broke his shoulder two weeks ago. The sole upside to this escapade: We discovered that there’s a Trader Joe’s across the street from his orthopedic surgeon’s office. For the non-cognoscenti, Trader Joe’s is a California-based grocery chain. Its primary claim to fame is “two-buck Chuck” (actually three bucks in Washington), cheap but drinkable wine. It also carries a wide selection of frozen and refrigerated pre-fab foods, for those whose cooking skills are limited to turning on the microwave. Given Julian’s injury, this is ideal for his daytime eating. (Not to mention my lunches at work.)

There are several Trader Joe’s in the area, including two in Seattle between my work and home. The problem with these two stores is that their parking garages are striped for Smart Cars rather than real vehicles. When we lived in north Seattle, I’d ride my bike down to the University District store, because the bike was much easier to park than my car. Since I didn’t have saddlebags for the bike, I had a limit on how much I could purchase on a given trip.

Prices at Trader Joe’s on items other than wine are quite reasonable. My one beef with the chain is that you have to buy pre-packaged produce. Three bell peppers are often more than we need. However, I can always get fruits and vegetables at the Yakima Fruit Stand between March and November and at the grocery store downtown anytime. But if I want a frozen bi him bap entrée, Trader Joe’s is my sole option.

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