The Coconut Disaster of '08

Today was a very frustrating day...I spent 2 hours (possibly longer) scouring chinatown for a case of young thai coconuts. I couldn't find ANY. I was in at LEAST 10 chinese groceries looking for these things, in the freezing cold. I was dehydrated, colder than I think I've ever been before in my life, frustrated, under dressed, and tired.

I finally gave up and went to the Whole Foods on Bowery. I picked up 2 coconuts -- then after checking out saw that they sell them for $1.50 there and not $3 like the other WF...I would've stocked up. I also realized after I finished shopping that they DIDN'T HAVE A JUICE BAR. And I'm starving at this point. So...yeah. I wind up going to this shady juice place on Houston that served me "fresh squeezed orange juice" from a pitcher. It didn't taste pasteurized, but it certainly tasted like it was squeezed yesterday morning. Gaaah.

Trying to buy fresh produce in this city is really physically and emotionally exhausting. I find myself spending hours out of my week bouncing back and forth between Trader Joe's (which looks bombed out a la crumbling communist economy), Whole Foods, the green markets, and the Park Slope Food Co-op. I'm really, really frustrated with the whole ordeal and sometimes wish (especially in the winter) that I just lived in some ridiculous suburb and could drive to the grocery stores in the comfort of a climate-controlled vehicle.

The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that the selection in the suburbs (at least in Lakeland) sucked too. More, even. I actually had a harder time finding food there, if thats possible -- and I'm talking essential, basic things like organic spinach and apples. Not some coconut thats been shipped 239847923 miles in order to get to me. Merh.

I should really work on being more flexible. Rather than going to 9283473 places to try to find something (ie, UNWAXED, organic cucumbers, which I haven't seen live and in person for over two weeks), I should just find something else. Its really not the end of the world, and if nothing else it will keep my diet varied and interesting. Plus, I can always stock up and have a cucumber feast when they finally do start showing up again.

I really do have a lot to be grateful for. The amount and variety of fresh, organic produce in NYC is really phenomenal, between Trader Joe's, chinese groceries, and the co-op. A lot of it isn't as local as I'd like it to be, but the fact that I have the knowledge, time, and money to nourish my body with the best nutrients available is pretty great.

PS: Update on the McIntosh apples? They still suck. I added what was probably 2 pounds..possibly more, to my kale green juice this morning (I even used the milder kale instead of the lacinato), and it was still disgusting. However, they do make for a delicious apple juice when blended alone...