Casey at the bat
Hi, Jesse here.
I got back from Texas yesterday nursing a demonic headcold. The cold started pretty mild but on Friday night Abby and I had a bit too much nightlife. I only got 4 hours of un-sober sleep before the flight home; my immune system now feels completely ravaged. I will pay 8 trillion bitcoins if someone on the dark web can come unplug my ears.
When I arrived in Texas a week ago, I brought CSA chard, arugula, and asparagus in my suitcase, all wrapped in damp dishtowels. If I had left them behind they wouldn't have lasted in the fridge — more anti-food waste madness from the guy who always takes it Too Far. But it worked! I got to prepare meals in a Texas kitchen using CSA produce from the Northeast. A very specific supply chain.
This week we have a new guest poster, the erudite Casey Kuhn, video journalist at PBS Newshour in our nation's capital. I've been online pals with Casey for years, since The Counter was more than a mid burger chain. She was a reporter in Arizona at the time, regularly engaging with our content in a way that was unexpected and smart — a rarity among Reply Guys.
She's kept that chatty vibe going strong with The Haul, sending in some of my favorite commentary like "Pepperoncini is elite. it's like better than olives. i put the juice into martinis during the pandemic and i'd do it again too. it's like if a jalapeño lost its spice and had a baby with an olive. idk!!" and, in reference to when I fed broken glass to Abby: "!!!! THE GLASS?????? Jesse please never do that again - I sliced my thumb open on a piece of glass left at a dinner table when I was eating out for my birthday once and that combined with the horrifying visual of a chopped in half lobster made for a very traumatizing birthday dinner."
Like me and Mr. Pearse, Casey is a big grocery stan. Here's a video she made at work, on cutting corners while grocery shopping:
Without further ado, here is Casey's report from her local Lidl, which I would call a surplus-adjacent grocer.
xo,
Jesse
By Casey Kuhn
Hi there!
I love grocery shopping. I even made a five-minute long video for my job about how to BEST grocery shop. (See above^)
When I moved to Northern Virginia from Phoenix — where nothing is walkable — I was elated to find an apartment next door to Lidl, a store I had never been to. It's a German grocery company that markets low-cost produce and Lidl-branded processed foods. According to their website, "Around 80% of our products are private label—all of which undergo rigorous taste, quality and sensory testing." The Lidl Express, where I shop, has a very selective amount of food compared to a full-sized store.
So to help Jesse out, whose newsletter I read religiously, I offered to review five of the things I bought at the Lidl Express about three weeks ago.
I had just gotten back from three weeks in Japan, a week home with my parents, and a week in Charlottesville with my husband — my pantry and refrigerator were basically empty. I don’t typically shop at the Lidl Express for stocking up on essentials because the options are so limited. This was a “survive the week” type of grocery trip.
First, the cheapest thing I bought:
White bread, $0.50
This white bread is usually $0.98 so to see it half off was a steal. I should have bought two and frozen the other one. I don’t have strong taste in bread and actually white bread takes me back to school lunches so I prefer it most of the time. My dog Chloe knows when the bread opens I have to pay the “bread tax” and give her a bit of a slice.
The most expensive thing I bought:
Champagne, $24.99
OK, this was a big splurge. But decent champagne at this price is worth it every now and again. I decided to treat myself because I just decided to move to Charlottesville (Ed. note: Burying the lede, Casey!) and got an amazing house with a backyard so I felt like celebrating. It tastes slightly less good than Veuve so I'd call that a win.
The most surprising thing I bought:
Frozen chicken cordon bleu, $4.97
I thought I had had these chicken cordon bleu things from Sam’s before so I was expecting the same soft texture and cheese oozing out of it by the time I pulled it out of the toaster oven. But, it turns out, this breading stayed crispy crunchy and almost tasted of tempura. The cheese did, however, pour all out and I was left with a slightly dry ham slice inside. Two portions for that cost though was a great deal, though, and super easy to eat when you don’t feel like cooking.
New item I tried (savory):
Rustic potatoes and green beans, $2.99
These were great! I way overcooked them in the pan, though, so the potatoes became a bit too mushy. It seemed very smartly flash-frozen with bits and pieces of garlic sauce covering the veggies so it melted off into a not-overpowering sauce as it heated in the pan. I would definitely get these again for a side dish.
New item I tried (sweet):
Organic oatmeal cookies, $2.49
These are very mediocre, but also not very sweet which I like in a dessert. The cookie itself is a cross between what the English would call a “biscuit” (right?) and a graham cracker. It is a bit grainy and not at all what I was picturing. I like oatmeal cookies to be soft and crumbly and this ain’t that. I will, however, be eating all of them.
*
I have an outstanding request to Lidl to tour their U.S. headquarters which are attached to my neighborhood Lidl Express (Ed. Note: Burying the lede again!) Let’s hope this reporter gets a chance to live her corporate dreams before she moves from her ideally located apartment.
P.S. If people are interested, I'll write more of these. The Lidl Express is always changing up their offerings so it's fun to see what they have. My favorite get so far has been $2.49 frozen pizza. I should have bought out the store!