One store, one season

I was driving to school yesterday, and a cheerful announcer with the weekly specials from Albertson's came on. I wasn't really paying attention until I mulled over what she was saying: Grapes, melons and strawberries were all on sale. Fresh Atlantic salmon and your choice of blueberries or blackberries round out their "seasonal" offerings.

But wait, it's February! Anybody who's ever grown anything knows that these crops are associated with a long sunny season, like summer. While the co-op offers up local kale and potatoes and leeks, mainstream America, it seems, is pretending the sun is shining. And I'm still trying to figure out why anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest would buy farmed salmon from 2000 miles away.

OK, I thought, I'll give them a chance, and I pulled up their advertising circular for this week. At least oranges feature prominently, but grapes and melons are still on sale, and the fresh (Mexican?) strawberries are chocolate-dipped for Valentine's Day. But what's this? "10 for 10 sale!" screams the header. That's right, the really special savings are reserved for Oreo 'go-paks', bottled flavored water, canned tuna, jet-puffed marshmallows (strawberry or regular), Barnum animal crackers, canned oranges, canned bean sprouts, Lite Smoothie drinkable yogurt (artificially sweetened), heavy duty sponges, ketchup, paper napkins, coffee filters and canned diced tomatoes. With the exception of canned tomatoes and ketchup (which I buy organic versions of), none of these "foods" live on my larder shelves.

Perhaps it's telling that Prilosec OTC acid reducer and SlimFast shake mix are on sale too.