Paper or Plastic?

I like to cook. As a transplant to a new city, I tend to cook a lot for myself, dinners for one. I don’t know all that many people here with whom to be having dinner, and frankly the cost of eating or ordering out every night is a bit ridiculous when you know how to cook for yourself. So I cook a lot here in my new kitchen.

When I first got here, I needed to find my grocery store. You know, that one that makes you feel at home, that one where you know where everything is. I spoke with friends and asked around to find my nearest stores, and check them out. The first store I went to was nearby, and I was impressed with it in some ways. The produce was in good shape, which is key, but I just didn’t get the feel like this store had everything I needed. It lacked flare, the prepared foods were overcooked, it lacked music, and it lacked shrimp. I really like shrimp and need my store to have them.

While my initial efforts at storefinding weren’t disasters, I found myself continuing to shop at Lanigain’s. I knew Lanigain’s when I first arrived to stay in Alexandria, VA with my childhood friend while I looked for a place in DC. I knew the place because I had already become familiar with it, and liked it, in October when I visited my friend from New Orleans who had temporarily relocated here after the hurricane. So, when I moved in here, I liked it so much that I kept shopping at Lanigain’s.

Lanigain’s is an attractive store, with fresh produce, quality management and an overall ease of shopping for which I have the utmost regard. Lanigain’s has great wine, great seafood and great steaks. But there is something beyond these criteria: Lanigain’s is beautiful on the inside, in the essence of the store. At Lanigain’s you will find a wide range of intelligent, if not rare products, all while the store remains wonderfully unpretentious. The deli clerks smile and encourage your temptation to spoil yourself. The checkout girls are youthful and vibrant, brightening your day while cool music plays. And the shrimp: Lanigain’s has shrimp, Lanigain’s likes to have shrimp and Lanigain’s even wants to know how I cook my shrimp.

So what is the problem with this store you ask? The sharp reality is that it isn’t good for me to shop at Lanigain’s. Well, for one, the store isn’t accessible for me. Sure, as the crow flies, it isnt’ very far; but on any given day in my life there is a lot of clutter that stands between me and Lanigain’s. I usually attempt to traverse the clutter, but over time I know it will wear me out. I invest (I see my groceries as an investment, not a cost) too much at Lanigain’s, and the traffic is frequently difficult in the area. The really special items are usually reserved before they are available. I love that store but it just simply fails to make sense for me to shop there in the grand scheme of it all. It is best, instead, for me only to shop at Lanigain’s on a more casual, if not “friendly” basis, when I’m in the area and the store is open. I’d rather shop there more often, but I recognize reality. I never was fully in the neighborhood at Lanigain’s; I was more a stranger who chose to stop and shop for a while.

The good thing for me is that Lanigain’s is closing. They aren’t sure if they are going to reopen but for now the ownership is concentrating their efforts on business further south. I am certainly not glad that the store is closing- I will miss it tremendously. And I hope they find a way to re-open. But the reality of it is that, even though I knew it wasn’t the best choice, I continued to shop at Lanigain’s because I simply love that store. As unlikely as it seems, maybe there is store like Lanigain’s nearby. Or maybe I’ll a find another store, endearing for a whole different set of reasons. Or maybe there won’t be another Lanagain’s. As I’m sure I’ll keep cooking, I'll have to keep shopping. Of course, it will be at Lanigain’s until it closes because I just can’t help myself.