pickles olives pepperoncini
Trader Meal
ONCE AGAIN WE ARE TOO tired to write this week’s installment of ALB. Procrastination is the order of the afternoon. With a little nibble, as it turns out.
Water into the Nuke-u-lator for a cup of Trader Joe’s Mint Tea. Within three minutes, my Tuscan Pane is toasted and cut. A bowl has been filled with olives (two kinds), cheese, and baby carrots. So far, everything is from Trader.
A few imported pepperoncini for luck. Jars back in the fridge. I’m seated, images uploaded, and typing before the 3 minute timer goes off. Ding! Tea’s done!
Fantastic! Trader Joe’s has again saved me from malnutrition! Did not even need the Trader apples and pickles! Will I be hungry after this “meal”? Maybe a little. Well, not really. 80% full. A glass of water makes it complete. 
Cracker Barrel Asiago
READING TERMINAL MARKET Philadelphia boasts a few fantastic vendors. Regularly I saddle up to a short counter for a bowl each of rice & steamed greens with scallions and oyster sauce. Then maybe to the Amish deli case, where you can still lay a dollar on the counter and get a dollar’s meat. Don’t forget the donut maker. Hundreds, nay, thousands, boiled daily in vats of fresh oil. Mmmmmmm donuts.
Today the Health Angel whispered from my shoulder. No donuts. After rice and greens, I happened past a cheese counter the better part of a city block long. If cheese you want, this is the place.
A few weeks ago, the local grocer’s featured a seasonal Cracker Barrel offering, Asiago. A very interesting flavor. Cracker Barrel will sell you a chunk for a fifth of the cheese counter’s price. It is a decent offering. Pairs nicely with olives, pepperoncini, maybe a few crackers.
If you see Cracker Barrel on sale, stock up! Be sure to grab a 7 oz package of chunk Asiago. Later, join me at RTM. We’ll splurge on the real stuff at five times the price. A little comparative munching. Both are worth it. Both are great values.
What happened at the RTM cheese counter? I sampled. Much stronger then Cracker Barrel. “This is real cheese, son”. Well worth $12.99 a pound. $9.99 if over a pound. They happened to have a single ½ pound piece already cut from the wheel. I did them the favor of buying for a fiver laid on the counter.
American Lunchbox 