divine angst

We live about equidistant from two grocery stores, but within a week of moving here, we had decided that one was definitely better than the other. The one we chose–let’s call it Special Mart–prices certain things higher, like beer and wine, but its produce and meat is far superior. The other one–let’s call it Mega Mart, even though our local one isn’t that big–has more selection of certain items, but it’s oddly organized and, the first time I shopped there, I couldn’t find broccoli, only broccoflower, which is a weird broccoli-cauliflower hybrid (and gross).

So we shop at Special Mart. I like it. I know where things are and, even if they don’t have the chips Mr. Angst prefers and they sometimes run out of the kind of bread we buy, it’s a better store overall, at least in our neighborhood.

But one thing they don’t sell that I have been trying to pick up for the last several months is Nutella. Mmmm……Nutella. If you haven’t had Nutella, you probably want to avoid it, because it’s so good you’ll want to eat it twice a day. And at 200 calories a serving (a generous serving, but still), it’s probably not going to help your waistline for you to get addicted. Nutella is a hazelnut spread, with cocoa and milk added. I first had Nutella in college, but forgot about it until we went to Italy. Every morning, we’d eat breakfast in the hotel and they’d have a wide selection of pastries–and Nutella to spread on them. Every morning I’d have a croissant with Nutella (along with really good coffee and warmed milk). I fell in love with Nutella. And last fall, I came down with a craving for it. I wanted Nutella at home. But Special Mart didn’t sell it.

In searching for Nutella, I got online and found that Mega Mart carries Nutella. Why Mega Mart carries it but Special Mart doesn’t is really beyond me, but there you have it. I’d have to go to Mega Mart to get Nutella. Except every time I’ve had to run over there for something in the last several months, I’ve forgotten to also get Nutella. Most recently, I haven’t been at all because the only thing that we really buy regularly that is cheaper at Mega Mart is wine, and there’s a closer drugstore that has wine at the same low prices. So I haven’t been to Mega Mart to get my Nutella.

Well, yesterday I took the train several neighborhoods north to go to the good Asian supermarket. Mr. Angst and I are going to try making pad thai tomorrow. But pad thai requires a few specialized ingredients–if you want to be authentic, that is. While Special Mart has fish sauce and rice stick, it does not have things like tamarind juice or concentrate. Hence the trip to the Asian supermarket. Where it took me 20 minutes to find tamarind concentrate, hidden on an end shelf, at the bottom, with the label turned away from the aisle. But while I was scouring the shelves for tamarind paste, I saw a jar of Nutella, right at eye level, winking at me. I grabbed it.

Funny that I had to take a 20 minute train ride to pick up Nutella. But I did, and this morning I enjoyed Nutella on toast. As breakfasts go, it’s pretty good stuff.