Worth blogging about? Oh, I think so.

Have you ever loved a grocery store? Me either, until now. What's to love, right? They're miserable, cold places that suck the money right out of your pocket without leaving any satisfaction in your heart.

That's precisely how I felt until I fell under the Wegmans spell. When I go shopping I think "hmmm, I can either battle the hoards, never find what I want, deal with my crazy shopping cart barnacles and THEN have the money sucked out of my pocket, OR I can go to Wegmans. The difference? Everything.

First of all, I get to drop my 3-8 year olds off at the Wegman's play place with the nicest ladies that remember my kids names (couldn't be because I take them everyday, right?) and shop for an hour with just one small barnacle. I forgot to get a picture of it, but it's clean, fun and wonderful. Then there's the store...let's let the the pictures do the talking, shall we?

Feast your eyes on that happy little shopper. Why so happy? Free cookie, for sure. But often they have free samples of freshly squeezed tangerine or blood orange juice too. SO good.


Then there is the store itself. Look over Cecily's left shoulder. See the pretty floor? Cool lights from overhead cast pretty leaf images on the floor. I don't know why, but I love it.

Then, there's this guy:

who teaches me (and other passers-by) how to make wonderful food like Milanese Shrimp. And because of him I know the finer points on how to use stuff like pan searing flour. He's the one who showed me how to make the yummiest butternut squash/spinach/dried cranberry/candied pecans dish the world has ever known. Okay, maybe the only one but I could seriously lick the pan...mmmmm.

Let's keep moving.

Last New Year's eve I knew exactly where to go for celebration food. Wegmans! We had crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms ala Wegmans in 10 minutes.

But they also have great prices on the the everyday stuff. Milk there was $1.69 this week! Why fight it? But Cecily appreciates the milk section even more than I do and this is why:

See the train hovering over the groceries? That's a working electric train over the dairy section that entertains young and old alike! I'll admit it, I stop and watch it for a minute even when I run to the store alone. It's just so cute.

So back in my Kentucky days I had no problem with Walmart. I actually kinda enjoyed it, but it was almost my only shopping option. I can hardly stand it now. All because of Wegmans. Freakish that I would feel that way about a grocery store? Maybe, but I'm not alone. No, no. Conversations including tender feelings toward Wegmans are common here in upstate NY, better known as "Wegmans country."