Go Buy Groceries Yourself

For some reason, I do not learn. There are so many times now that I have stupidly decided to walk to the store on a bright, sunny day at noon. I believe this is an old habit from Sweden, since there was never really a problem there. In Singapore, however, the sun is scorching at noon and one pale Nordic person might get burned.

I was hungry and I needed food, plus I already knew I had to go buy groceries that day. Two flies in one strike, or something like that. In my backpack I had entertainment, since I do not really like being by myself with never ending thoughts. Maybe it is something I need to work on, feels kind of good whenever I manage to do it. With me I had John's kindle, my 3Ds and earphones, though I never used the 3Ds so it was mainly just there as an extra weight.

There were a lot of people over at Adam Road Food Centre, a hawker centre consisting mainly of Indonesian cuisine. I searched for a table, found one partly in shadow and claimed it by putting down a package of tissues. Then I headed over to our only-tried satay place and ordered five chicken and five beef sticks with rice. To the food I had an avocado juice, a bit wishy-washy (a word I just discovered) but alright. With lo-fi hip hop music in my ears to drown the sound of a busy hawker centre, I put the kindle on the table next to the food and started a new chapter. Right now I am reading Descent of Angels. Reading while eating was soothing, felt like I was alone and I could eat in peace. Took me about an hour to be done, which felt good since I am a usually rather fast eater.

Stomach filled with food I then walked slowly to Fairprice. I am not very confident in grocery shopping alone so doing it is uplifting and freeing. The smallest and most mundane tasks make me feel alive. Everything went fine and I bought a lot more than one person should carry. The cashier went with my request of packing the heaviest things in my backpack and the rest in a tote bag. Walking all the way home with that weight would have killed me, so I took the subway, even though it was only one station. By the time I came home I was exhausted and almost fell asleep in the couch.

A colleague of John asked us once why we went to the store when we could just order it home. Around the world there are plenty of online supermarkets offering delivery. Back in Sweden we used mat.se, but only when we would place a large order. We did not have a car and could not make any big shopping trips, so it was a solution. Here in Singapore we only buy what we can consume. Keeping food fresh in a tropical country is a challenge we have tried to overcome but has had to surrender to. There is also plenty of other reasons for why you should take the walk to the grocery store instead of making a home delivery order:

Exercise - if you are not a gym person or a general active person, this is the least you can do for your health. 

Activity - feeling like you are never spending time with your partner? You will have plenty of time in the store and always have something to talk about. Dinner? Snacks? How was work today?

Frugality - know what you are spending money on and what you are really buying. 

Quality - pick the best suitable product you need. Want a ready to eat avocado or one that will be ripe in a few days? 

Math - this might seen like it has nothing to do with grocery shopping, but being in the store I feel much more inclined to compare prices and calculate discounts.