It Takes Two to Mango - Week 30
Week 30 - The Mango Margarita
I moved to Florida just over 5 years ago. You would think the hardest part of leaving home to venture out into the world would be leaving my family behind. Turns out they visit a lot, so the actual worst thing...leaving my grocery store behind. In theory I should have accepted this change by now and moved on, but days like today bring all the grocery store separation issues right back to the surface! I kid, I kid, kind of.
I grew up with Wegmans as my local grocery store. To go here is not to shop, but to experience a whole event. You grab coffee, maybe some lunch, see friends from years past, peruse an entire department devoted to cheese and oh yeah, pick up some groceries too. I know, I sound like such an elitist right now. I admit it, but even all these years later, I just can't accept new grocery stores into my life lol!!
I now live where Publix is my most convenient grocery store. I was actually surprised, to some degree, at the Publix stores in general when I first moved here. The stores are clean and the staff is friendly. They aren't Wegmans by any means, but they aren't terrible, so please don't let my rant a make you think that. However, it doesn't change the fact that I do have issues with the store.
I have given this an exceptional amount of thought and I've narrowed down my "not Wegmans" problem to two main issues. The first is that grocery stores are not open 24 hours in the south. This alone sends me into a tirade of annoyance - just ask my poor co-workers. I complain every time I need to stop by the store on my way to work. The stores do not open until 7:00 am here. Half my day is over by then!! They also close at 10:00 pm. So much life happens after this! Why oh why is this a thing? Do people in the south not need things in between these hours? When I ask people about this, they seem to just accept the store hours and think I'm the unreasonable one for wanting workers to not be with their families. I think they just don't know a life where 24 hours is a thing, so they don't think it's inconvenient that the store closes.
My second issue is that not all Publix stores carry the same things. It fluctuates widely based on location and demographic. Sometimes even the most basic items just aren't carried at a given store. You can't just swing into any old Publix store and expect that what you want will be there. This is what happened to me today and what sparked my 4 paragraph rant.
My week 30 drink is The Mango Margarita. This recipe called for mango sorbet. No problem, I saw this at the store recently so I knew it was there. However, I was on the other side of town earlier today and stopped at a different store because it was closer. Guess what they didn't have? No mango sorbet to be seen for miles. So frustrating, but in the end, I went to the other store, purchased what I needed and drank my sorrows away in the form of a mango margarita. All is well that ends well, right?
The drink itself was easy to put together. As with my Week 22 drink, that also called for sorbet, the ingredient blended perfectly and made the drink the perfect consistency. I used a mango slice for garnish and skipped sugar and salt on the rim. The drink was delicious. A very refreshing and tasty drink. A perfect addition to a hot summer afternoon. I highly recommend.
Lesson Learned - Change is sometimes hard, but it's not the end of the world. I have come to terms with Publix and it's not really all that bad. In fact, most days I don't even give it a second thought. While I will likely always compare grocery stores to Wegmans, I have accepted Pubix as my new normal!
Recipe
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 mango slice (peeled)
1 scoop mango sorbet
Mango slice for garnish
Level of Difficulty - 3
Taste - 8.5
Overall - 8
I grew up with Wegmans as my local grocery store. To go here is not to shop, but to experience a whole event. You grab coffee, maybe some lunch, see friends from years past, peruse an entire department devoted to cheese and oh yeah, pick up some groceries too. I know, I sound like such an elitist right now. I admit it, but even all these years later, I just can't accept new grocery stores into my life lol!!
I now live where Publix is my most convenient grocery store. I was actually surprised, to some degree, at the Publix stores in general when I first moved here. The stores are clean and the staff is friendly. They aren't Wegmans by any means, but they aren't terrible, so please don't let my rant a make you think that. However, it doesn't change the fact that I do have issues with the store.
I have given this an exceptional amount of thought and I've narrowed down my "not Wegmans" problem to two main issues. The first is that grocery stores are not open 24 hours in the south. This alone sends me into a tirade of annoyance - just ask my poor co-workers. I complain every time I need to stop by the store on my way to work. The stores do not open until 7:00 am here. Half my day is over by then!! They also close at 10:00 pm. So much life happens after this! Why oh why is this a thing? Do people in the south not need things in between these hours? When I ask people about this, they seem to just accept the store hours and think I'm the unreasonable one for wanting workers to not be with their families. I think they just don't know a life where 24 hours is a thing, so they don't think it's inconvenient that the store closes.
My second issue is that not all Publix stores carry the same things. It fluctuates widely based on location and demographic. Sometimes even the most basic items just aren't carried at a given store. You can't just swing into any old Publix store and expect that what you want will be there. This is what happened to me today and what sparked my 4 paragraph rant.
My week 30 drink is The Mango Margarita. This recipe called for mango sorbet. No problem, I saw this at the store recently so I knew it was there. However, I was on the other side of town earlier today and stopped at a different store because it was closer. Guess what they didn't have? No mango sorbet to be seen for miles. So frustrating, but in the end, I went to the other store, purchased what I needed and drank my sorrows away in the form of a mango margarita. All is well that ends well, right?
Lesson Learned - Change is sometimes hard, but it's not the end of the world. I have come to terms with Publix and it's not really all that bad. In fact, most days I don't even give it a second thought. While I will likely always compare grocery stores to Wegmans, I have accepted Pubix as my new normal!
Recipe
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 mango slice (peeled)
1 scoop mango sorbet
Mango slice for garnish
Level of Difficulty - 3
Taste - 8.5
Overall - 8
Comments
Post a Comment