Trader Joe's Wish List?

[starlucia]

OK... I've got an empty duffel bag with a 50-pound weight limit, and an Argentine girlfriend who has never experienced Trader Joe's. For any Americans familiar with this most fabulous of stores, what are some of their more unique items that you absolutely think are worth hauling back? So far I'm thinking coffee, curry sauce, every kind of nut... oh, how I wish their hummus and cheeses were transportable...

 

[texxaslonghorn]

four-buck chuck (formerly two-buck chuck)

 

[mmoon]

Honey Pretzel Sticks, Peanut Butter Crackers, Bourbon Vanilla Cake mix, Cornbread Mix, Beer Bread mix, Organic Maple Syrup, TLC 7-grain crackers, Tempting Trail Mix, Light Salt roasted cashews, Dark Chocolate covered in sea salt, teriyaki sauce, salad dressing...
Can you bring back two suitcases full?

 

[lilabaila2]

this is just cruel.
but i would say any of their trail mixes. and peanut butter pretzels. and maybe a jar of pesto.

 

[TomAtAlki]

We always carry pounds of cheese with us, and our favorite crackers. And, our favorite hot sauces.
Nancy

 

[Nossyd]

Honey Pretzel Sticks, Peanut Butter Crackers, Bourbon Vanilla Cake mix, Cornbread Mix, Beer Bread mix, Organic Maple Syrup, TLC 7-grain crackers, Tempting Trail Mix, Light Salt roasted cashews, Dark Chocolate covered in sea salt, teriyaki sauce, salad dressing...
Can you bring back two suitcases full?

You have excellent taste..your list is my list!

 

[Napoleon]

Oh my goooosh! Any room in that bag for a jar of almond butter for a fellow expat? Just kidding, but she definitely should try that! Still amazes me how the sole ingredient in it is almonds.

My 1st thought: Dry Roasted (unsalted) Almonds
My 2nd thought: Almond Butter

Do NOT waste wait on vino. You would be shot for less in Vegas.

The amazingly cheap dried fruits & nuts are what I would go for first.

Then the amazingly priced Tres Generaciones Añejo Tequila from Sauza.

Then some Monopalowa vodka (in a liter bottle), but not for import. (The tequila either.)

Spicy black bean tortillas. (But they'll be crushed.)

I used to love a Dark Chocolate that they offered with either Venezuelan or Ecuadorean coco bean origin (I like the coco from Ecuador myself... slightly more bitter, like me).

TRIPLE GINGER SNAPS!!

Not kidding!! Like 3 or 4 tubs of those babies!! That's the best return on your weight that you're going to find there. I'm absolutely serious!! Amazing!!

The Chimaytation Belgian Ale is good, but not a good return on your weight. However, now is the time of year that it's in season.

I'll think of more while I'm drinking with yanquis in DuDui.

besos

 

[vanessa]

Wait... $2 chuck is $4 now?!? Used to live across the street from TJ's in Los Angeles.

 

[fred mertz]

Trader Joe's POUND PLUS 72% Dark Chocolate Belgium 17.6 oz - 500 g candy bars

 

[Napoleon]

Wait... $2 chuck is $4 now?!? Used to live across the street from TJ's in Los Angeles.

That doesn't really narrow it down.

-The one where the Russian hookers used to shop on Santa Monica between La Brea & Fairfax?

-The Brokeback TJ's on Santa Monica in WeHo?

-The crunchy East Side one on Hyperion in Silver Lake?

-The parking nightmare West Side one with it's back to Olympic between Bundy & Barrington?

-Don't know if the pocket TJ's across from the Santa Monica airport is still there around where Bundy becomes Centinela...

-Was it the one in the heart of Culver City with it's own parking garage?

There were others, but these are the ones that I frequented the most. And to think, if it hadn't been for the grocery store employees union strike back in ~2001, I never were have skipped past my local Pavillions and gone to TJs instead.

Maybe that's whats drew me to Buenos Aires in the first place. The city is teeming with strikes and you never know what you're going to encounter when you have to change your life for the latest one.