Grocery Shopping Thursdays

We take a different turn today, and take you shopping with us at the Foodland grocery store in Pukalani.  Yes, it is an adventure and much different than grocery shopping on the mainland.  You will find Foodland 5 miles from our house and 2,000 feet down the side of the old volcano.

First, you need a membership card.  Without it, you are going to need to take out a small loan at the bank.  Even if we're not officially yet "locals", it's good to be considered local when shopping for groceries.  Secondly, you do not go shopping for what you want (with exceptions, of course); you go shopping for what is on sale.  With the above two rules in place, you will find groceries slightly more expensive than the mainland.

Pineapple and coconuts are always good bets.  Our neighbor brought us some pineapple as a housewarming gift, along with a bottle of wine.  They are readily exchanged amongst others and plentiful in number.  Even in Foodland, pineapples are pretty cheap and really fresh.  As our car rental agent warned us of coconuts, however, just don't park the car underneath a coconut tree.

Last week I wanted Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies, but I couldn't justify paying $6.09 for a dozen.  Especially knowing that in Clemson I can purchase them for around $1.79.  Today, they were on sale for $3.09, so I'll be in Little Debbie heaven for the next several days.

Rice is plentiful and cheaper than on the mainland.  Plus, I never realized there were so many different types of rice, shelves and shelves dedicated to them.

You would think that sugar is a bargain, seeing that it is grown over a large percentage of Maui.  Alas, it costs about the same as back home.

Actually, the cost of meat is surprisingly competitive.  Local beef and poultry is really good.  Fish?  Not much here, unless you're into poke.  The seafood section is dominated by rows of raw, marinated ahi mixed with everything from mayonnaise to oyster sauce.  They even give samples if you're a first-timer.  We brought some home today.  If you want to eat fish on Maui, hit the restaurants.  The really good stuff goes straight from the fishing boats to there. 

We get our fresh vegetables, fruits, and eggs at the local Nui Farms down the street from us, where everything is fresh, and believe it or not, cheaper than the Clemson area.

For people who can live on alcohol, you are in luck.  The cost of both wine and liquor is substantially less than the Upstate of SC.

So find your pono, grab some aloha, and sprinkle in a lot of mahalo, and whatever you do keep the iphone ear buds in yer pocket.  People still talk to one another in this place, and by God, you don't want to miss what they might have to say.