Super H Mart in Atlanta, complete with local gas-guzzling SUVs

As I mentioned yesterday, I had to make an emergency trip to my parent’s house in North Atlanta. So I left some of my farmer’s market produce and froze the meat I had bought in Brooklyn. So today I ventured out, in a car….. to collect what I’d needed here in ATL and get the other things my parents had on their list. I don’t have receipts to scan or a scanner this week, so you’ll have to take my word for it. My father has been raving about this new Korean market down the road, Super H Mart (pictured above w/SUVs included) where he finds tons of fresh veggies, great seafood, and lots of Korean food he has no idea what to do with. I found a cool cut of meat I’d never seen - shaved, super thin ribeye. I think I’m going to wrap it around my eggplants, see what happens. I also found my palm sugar which I need for my curried soup on Friday. The Whole Foods here is stunning, so well stocked, and people are super friendly. The prepared food guy asked how my Sunday was, and my initial response was, “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you correctly” - I was taken aback by an actual interest in the customers from the employees. I also had my heart set on having duck this week after I bought it in Union Square and had to freeze it, so I bought a whole duck for only $2.99/lb! And the butcher offered to cut it into pieces for me! I was practically floating through the store. I had to get a couple expensive dairy items, but my parents also have a very well stocked pantry and kitchen so I think things even out. So here’s my rough/combo total for this week’s groceries:

Union Square Greenmarket:

2 Red Bell Peppers, 3 eggplants - $6.30

Green Beans - $2.00

Broccoli Rabe, 2 bunches kale - $5.00

Bread - $4.75

2 Acorn, 1 butternut squash - $5.50

Shallots - $2.50

NY State Apples - $3.00

Super H Mart, Atlanta, Ga

King Oyster Mushrooms - $3.99

Shaved Beef Ribeye - $5.09

Palm Sugar - $1.49

Whole Foods, Atlanta, Ga (not Union Square where I have most of my disappointing grocery experiences)

Bananas - $.57

Turkish Figs - $4.69

Creme Fraiche - $3.89

Fontina - $8.28

Whole Duck - $14.86

Grand Total: $71.91/2ppl/10 meals = $3.60/person/meal - Unfortunately Johnathan won’t be enjoying my food until Thursday or Friday, and has to fend for himself back home, but my mom is helping me eat the other meals this week. Part of being prepared for us is being able to get Johnathan frozen Fresh Direct meals if I’m out of town….an expense we have to factor in occasionally, luckily my food is WAY better than theirs.

Pork Ribs - what I was charged for vs. Chuck Roast - what I actually bought

I had to cool down a bit before writing this post. And partly because this ever present problem with Whole Foods (in Union Square) is partly my fault. I have one meat dish this week for our friend from over seas who requested a real American roast (pot that is). I knew this was going to put a dent in my budget, but I also wanted to rise to the challenge. At my last stop, Whole Foods (WF) I only needed a couple small things, and one big roast. I had a short conversation with the butcher, and they did not have a French trimmed rib roast (I’ve never been able to find anything special or specific at the meat or fish counter - although they now carry Ostrich eggs for $39.99) he recommended the chuck roast and said 4lbs was enough for 4 people. He wrapped it up, and I went on my merry way. Not until I was unpacking and rearranging the fridge did I notice that he charged me for PORK SPARE RIBS!!! They were $6.99/lb as opposed to the chuck which was $4.99/lb. After a conversation about the meat, he did not even charge me for the right animal! I was livid, especially after my encounter with the fish monger. I do have grace for human mistakes - but there seems to be a pattern at this store. I should have checked before I left - but I used to have a higher standard for WF. I also had to tell the check out chick which mushrooms were which and that I had scallions not leeks. Good help must be hard to find - if you’re a butcher or fishmonger, apply to manage the Union Square Whole Foods counter, and save the good name of your profession.

That aside, Trader Joe’s was well stocked, and I bought all my cheese and milk products there, as well as some yummy sourdough. I don’t expect a huge selection from them, but what I do get is usually a great price. Although, this week, WF had cheaper low sodium chicken broth - their 365 brand. The farmers market was unusually busy with chefs and sous chefs for a Monday. Large orders were being carted around and really large totals were being called out. I found all my herbs and the squashes are beginning to appear. I love when the farmers start lining their tents with pumpkins, gourds, and funny shaped squashes. I think I chose some pricey dishes this week, but because of my wonderful husband, I’m getting back money from WF for their mess up. Here are the totals:

The Chuck Roast that was charged as ribs was supposed to be $17.71, not $24.67. So the WF total is actually $38.11.

The totals for the farmers market are:

4 Leeks - $3.00

2 LG Heirloom Tomatoes - $2.50

3lb Beets - $3.00

3lb Butternut Squash - $2.40

Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage - $4.50

Grand Total $113.16 / 2ppl/10meals a week= $5.65/person/meal!!!