Counting On: Season Four

[sawasdee]

I am so jealous! Here in my (relatively) small Thai town there are two supermarkets that carry anything but Thai brands - and they are very expensive....

Even in those, the selection isn't great - I spend a lot of time on Google finding substitutes to use in recipes, and have made from scratch things I would find in any supermarket in the UK!

BUT -  I do most of my shopping at the market -the eggs, the pork, the chicken all have more flavour, the veggies are superfresh and cheap,  and I can buy fish or shellfish that are still alive until I pay for them. I then go do the rest of my shopping, and come back to have them beautifully cleaned. prepared and ready for cooking. It's only open late afternoon - 7pm.

It's a toss up. Do I want an everything-there-is supermarket, or my superfresh, limited selection from vendors who often grow/raise what they sell?

[SassyPants]

Sawasdee- your situation is exactly like my daughter's. She lives in Ecuador and when I go visit I have a hard time, because I'm always looking for familiar brands or products and it's just not available. Now if I wanted rice, there's 2 aisles of rice-I kid you not.

[potato]

On 5/15/2017 at 9:53 PM, SilverBeach said:

This sounds like Marianos around here. I have never ventured past the prepared food section, it is amazing. Also gourmet coffee, and gelato, for cheap. Nice eat-in area. It's destination shopping.

Fellow Mariano's fan here!    I love grabbing some lunch while shopping for groceries!

[JMO]

I was watching TLC and saw the promo for the new season.  I think someone posted it before but this is the first time I saw it on air and I've been watching a lot of Say Yes TTD. 

[cascarones]

On 5/14/2017 at 2:09 PM, calimojo said:

I would love to see an show where Jessa shows up to drop off her kids so she and ben can go to Tacos 4 life and Michelle greats them at the door and says, No, 

Spot on, but also I just cracked up all over again thinking of when Jeremy surprised Jinger at the taco place and Ben just starts eating a taco while standing there watching them. It's not even his taco, it's Jinger's taco. Pretty sure this will always be my favorite Ben moment. 

It's that real life, unscripted stuff making it fun to watch at times, even if sometimes I'm baffled. It's also a surprisingly good way to think about your own faith, I watch with the boyfriend who wasn't raised religiously and is exploring Christianity. The show gets us talking since he doesn't have a lot of the basic references they use or I sometimes use casually. Heck, even Rufus got us talking and that no, taxidermy and displaying heads on the wall is not a Christian thing. That rabbit hole got stranger and stranger as all things Rufus do.

[JMO]

So it looks like we have a banner summer coming up for the Duggars. A lot won't make it until next season  (gd help us) but Joy got married just in time for Memorial Day,  Joe is engaged, Jill will have her baby in the next 6-8 weeks then Anna will have hers. Joy will be pregnant by Labor Day and Jinger will probably announce this summer. Who knows,  Jessa may get an announcement in by September as well. And keeping with the 3 month trend means Joe is married by Labor Day. We could have pics of 3-5 pregnant Duggars at once! JB will be thrilled with the ratings boost! 

[MadeItOut]

At least with them being as they are we *should* be spared Christmas photos featuring five matching Christmas pudding maternity shirts.

[onekidanddone]

On 5/19/2017 at 10:36 AM, melon said:

I also LOVE Trader Joes.On the weekends,they are packed.I have gone there with Mr Melon and my sons.They all liked it,even Mr Melon and my Walmart loving oldest son.I HATE Walmart.The first time,I went to TJ when Melon son 2 ,he said Well this is almost like a WholeFoods  store,but it's smaller.....and it's cheaper.The prices on some of their items are comparable  with Walmart.

My oldest son cannot stand Whole Foods,he says it's just overpriced.He didn't laugh when I told him that some people call it 'WholePaycheck".

 

There is a smaller Whole Foods type place in my area. It has been described as an "Expensive Whole Foods".

[calimojo]

Despite the fact that they have lots going on, at least in how they would define it, New babies, and weddings and engagements,  the producers of CO will still end up making it a dreadfully boring show.  Sometimes I think it would be fun to change careers and try producing a show like this because even as a novice, I think I could make a more interesting show than what TLC has given us year after year.  I mean, in reality,  a freakshow cultish famiy with a shit ton of kids should be interesting.  And anyone with even a slight bit of skill should find a way to make it so.  So either TLC hires crappy producers, OR JimBob has extreme control over what gets on those shows and he is hindering TLC from doing a more interesting program.  On an individual level, I think the Duggars are probably boring people.  They don't read anything but the bible, they only associate with others of the same mindset, and they are very restricted in their exposure to modern culture, education etc, so I have no trouble believing that they are all rather dull after awhile.  I think this is why Jinger captured the interest of many on here years ago, because her goofy facial expressions gave a bit of spark of interest that we didn't see in the rest of them.   I can't imagine being stuck on an elevator with one of the duggars and having to make small talk with them for a few hours until we were rescued. 

Still, individual boringness aside, the unit as a whole is interesting because they are oddballs.  That was the niche.  But then they decided to break from that and look more mainstream and it is like someone let the air out of the tires.  Boring and dull.  The interest we all shared in them, pre-scandal, was their oddball family.  But once they were hiding the crazy and trying to be all "we are just like y'all only better because of Jesus and stuff", they got boring. 

And we see the lack of personality coming out in even how they seem to relate, or not relate to one another.  Compare this to how the Bates kids interact together.  They act like real siblings, who get annoyed, tease each other, know each other.  They are a bunch of crazy cultists too, but as a family unit, they seem to function with much more spontaneity and genuine affection for one another.  Not sure if that is due to Kelly and Gil, or if the sister moms were just more successful in their efforts than the Duggar sister moms.  

[ViolaSebastian]

9 hours ago, onekidanddone said:

There is a smaller Whole Foods type place in my area. It has been described as an "Expensive Whole Foods".

The mind boggles. 15 dollar cucumbers? 20 dollars for a gallon of milk? The prices must be that exorbitant. Who are the people that keep this place in business?!

[Coconut Flan]

I've been in Whole Foods quite a bit and never seen those prices.  Chips are 20 cents more a bag for the same brand as the store where I usually shop.  Lemonade was the same price.  Grapes on sale are the same price as the supermarket a mile away. Unless it's a good sale, it usually won't be the cheapest place in town though.

[cascarones]

I'll agree with Coconut Flan, Whole Foods is a smidge more expensive. I'm personally not a fan being from Texas, grew up a during all of their rough business practices and lawsuits while they present themselves as a social good company. Tons of civil suits by the owner after the city of Austin agreed they were forcing smaller natural grocers out, it got really petty.

That being said I love grocery shopping, worked in a grocery store to get my way through school and my favorite up in the Northwest is Trader Joe's. There's a simple reason: cheese. They have a really nice cheese selection for a fraction of a price compared to the Safeway and Whole Foods, it seems to be fresher and much more varied. Do not try anything dark chocolate there, you will regret it, you will then turn into an investigator to who ate the last dark chocolate crisps and did not have the kindness to replace them. 

Reading this and seeing the news of Joy's wedding also makes me miss my Mema (she just passed) and the random mail I'd get from her just full of grocery coupons she wasn't going to use, but wasn't willing to let go to waste. 

 

[Dandruff]

On 5/19/2017 at 3:28 PM, Lurker said:

One thing that is missing from New York City is large grocery stores.   We have local chains such as CTown and KeyFood.   Most stores are very small, they are most  times just  the size of a CVS or Waldgreens in the suburbs.   We have lots of great small independent fish and green grocers plus some great ethnic markets. I do most of my shopping locally within walking distance of my home.   Occasionally I will shop Whole Foods and Trader Joes.  The Trader Joes has a line to get in most days, so it is not my first choice.

Have you tried Fairway?

[GreenTea]

19 hours ago, JMO said:

So it looks like we have a banner summer coming up for the Duggars. A lot won't make it until next season  (gd help us) but Joy got married just in time for Memorial Day,  Joe is engaged, Jill will have her baby in the next 6-8 weeks then Anna will have hers. Joy will be pregnant by Labor Day and Jinger will probably announce this summer. Who knows,  Jessa may get an announcement in by September as well. And keeping with the 3 month trend means Joe is married by Labor Day. We could have pics of 3-5 pregnant Duggars at once! JB will be thrilled with the ratings boost! 

Aw, This is all too much and yet oddly interesting. I'm more of a visual person. I need a chart or drawing or something to really understand this Duggar cluster-storm of upcoming events. Anyone artsy? 

[Lurker]

@Dandruff,  I love to go to the Red Hook Fairway, grab some food and sit outside by the water, but Fairway is a very jammed packed store not like a big suburban store that has wide isles, etc.

 

[albanuadh_1]

13 hours ago, cascarones said:

makes me miss my Mema (she just passed) and the random mail I'd get from her just full of grocery coupons she wasn't going to use, but wasn't willing to let go to waste. 

She sounds so lovely! I'm a bit emotional today since we've had my mother (95) in and out of hospital 2x this week so I can just picture your grandmother sitting there with a bunch of coupons and sending them off to you. Sweet, sweet memory.

[elvirajane]

I wonder how the show will fare now that the potential of new courtships is severely diminished. 

I don't think Jed and Jer are going to be courting soon - they are only 18, and Duggar males are supposed to be self-sufficient when they marry. Josiah started sooner but the courtship was broken, and Josh was only married off at 20 because of his issues.

We don't know how easy it will be for Josiah to marry now that he is missing pieces of his heart.

And JD and Jana seem to be extremely picky or have some other issue we are not aware of. 

So I guess now TLC has to make baby announcements more exciting to go on with the show.

[cascarones]

54 minutes ago, albanuadh_1 said:

She sounds so lovely! I'm a bit emotional today since we've had my mother (95) in and out of hospital 2x this week...

Thoughts and prayers for your mama and you too, being a caretaker is such a challenging and draining position to be in. Mema was great, your typical southern matriarch who joked her closet was full of sassy skirts, boss pants and opinions.  

I'm also part of the grandchildren accidentally traumatized when she learned to read in her eighties and would call if she couldn't figure out what a word meant. She picked books to work on off the covers and that angel book....well it was a bodice ripper full of euphemisms.  We all find it bloody hilarious, but in the moment I'd be thousands of miles away blushing to my boots. She left one in my hope chest with a little sticky note at the pertinent part.

Anyone know if the Duggars do hope chests? I feel like it would have popped up in the wedding preparation episodes, but maybe they're very private about certain things?

[MoonFace]

3 hours ago, cascarones said:

but maybe they're very private about certain things?

Laughing like a loon over  private?   When they flaunt every pregnancy test that yells I"VE HAD SEX !   And it took/ didn't take.  

[JMO]

5 hours ago, cascarones said:

I'm also part of the grandchildren accidentally traumatized when she learned to read in her eighties and would call if she couldn't figure out what a word meant. She picked books to work on off the covers and that angel book....well it was a bodice ripper full of euphemisms.  We all find it bloody hilarious, but in the moment I'd be thousands of miles away blushing to my boots. She left one in my hope chest with a little sticky note at the pertinent part.

First, I love that she learned to read in her 80's. I think that's an amazing show of character to keep learning at that age. Second, this is a fabulous memory that you will laugh about for decades and tell your own grandkids about. She sounds like a wonderful woman. 

[Karma]

5 hours ago, cascarones said:

Anyone know if the Duggars do hope chests?

I've never heard hope chests being mentioned. Huge wedding registry lists seem more their thing. 

[Daisy0322]

@Karma what is a hope chest? Curiousity is getting to me, I know my grandma had one but I just thought it was a ceder chest. 

[wikinggirl]

31 minutes ago, Daisy0322 said:

@Karma what is a hope chest? Curiousity is getting to me, I know my grandma had one but I just thought it was a ceder chest. 

Jumping in, even though it wasn't for me. A hope chest is "a piece of furniture traditionally used to collect items such as clothing and household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life." (Thank you wikipedia!) So basically a bunch of stuff you collect to have when you're married, because heaven forbid you use them before! 

The Boyer Sisters did a whole bunch of posts about them, here. 

There's also this scene from one of my favorite movies, me and you and everyone we know.

 

[Daisy0322]

@wikinggirl oh interesting I mean I could see that being a thing a long time ago I guess. Makes more sense now that I know that... my grandma use to keep all her old baby clothes/ blankets and such in hers

[Lurky]

@Daisy0322 Girls often had to sew things for their Hope Chests, eg on long winter nights.  Of course, you need to have had cash and space to have one, but a less formal way is in the Little House books, where young Laura and Mary had sewn quilts when they were younger, that were put away for when they were married, and she takes this and other things she's sewn, in a bundle to her new married home - and Ma Ingalls gives Laura a pair of pillows because Laura had plucked so many birds over the years.  It's also  a hangover from when dowries were paid and/or a precursor to a wedding shower, so the woman is either bringing things she'd need that the husband doesn't have (eg baking trays, or double bedding) or nice things to decorate with and make her feel at home in his house. 

(Plus it's work to do, so girls were kept busy, or in the the Boyers' case, a continual reminder that their only goal is life is marriage...)

ETA It was cedar to keep away clothesmoths.... if you had the money for something fancy like that!