Grocery woes

We have lived here for nearly seven years and for the most part feel very settled. There is still one area where I just can't quite get over the grief and challenge of living in a new place. And what is that one thing? Grocery shopping. I still miss my fantastic grocery store where I could get all the ingredients I routinely cook with. This would include Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and European ingredients and produce. 

I have found places to buy them all, but I have found them in five different stores in very different geographical locations. Instead of just being able to get the one or two things I need that week, I have to plan and make a special trip to one of the five grocery stores that carry them. And if I'm making a special trip, it makes sense to do a bit of sticking up because it will probably be a couple of months before I get back to that particular store. 

I am making it work, because really, what other choice do I have? But it takes a lot more time and it is not terribly budget friendly. I am not stocking up because things are on sale, but am stocking up at full price. I really don't care for this aspect of it either. 

Today I was out by the Chinese grocery store, so it made sense to stop in. Here's today's haul, minus the four packages of Hong Kong noodles which were already in the freezer. 


And yes, that is a jar of Kimchi on the right because many of my children love to just add it to food. 

I don't understand why it seems to be so difficult to stick a more inclusive variety of groceries. I also don't quite understand why these very obvious gaps in what is available doesn't seem to bother anyone else. 

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