Confessions of a Trader Joe's Lover

Oh, Trader Joe’s, how I both love and hate thee.

Love because you are by far my favorite grocery store. Hate because you aren’t closer to my house, so when I run out of your Thai Lemongrass Chicken Stix, I have to go without until my next trip to University Place.

Granted, it’s not like I live far away – Lakewood, to be precise – but oh, how the residents of my city would love to have you set up shop.

I got my first introduction to Trader Joe’s in college when a friend sent me a box of cookies from “some store” she came across in Federal Way. I inhaled the Peppermint Joe-Joes – think of a fabulously minty Oreo – and instantly wanted more. So during a trip home my senior year, I found the promised land in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.

I loaded up my car with sparkling sodas, chocolate-covered raisins and frozen gyoza – and drove it all back to Pullman. (For the record, I don’t recommend trying to transport the latter across the state.)

Imagine my thrill when I found out that the California-based Trader Joe’s was opening in University Place when I moved back to the area after graduating. After all, Bridgeport Way was just a stone’s throw away from my house.

On a cold day in December 2004, we became acquainted. It was love at first sight.

Back then, Trader Joe’s main appeal for me was its readymade meals. After all, I spent my adolescence proclaiming that I was going to marry a man who cooked so I wouldn’t have to. (That didn’t work out so well.) But I could easily stop by and pick up a vast array of meals far more attractive than whatever I could be cooking (burning) that night. Shepherd’s Pie? Orange Chicken? Vegetable Lasagna? Done, done, done – and I didn’t have to clean a single pan.

Over time, I learned to cook – quite well, in fact – and while I love it just the same, Trader Joe’s now serves a different purpose. I go there for exotic sauces, fresh produce, delicious cheeses and crusty breads that I incorporate into my recipes. They have the best cilantro in town, and you can buy it fresh or frozen into individual cubes. Brilliant.

I also go there for snacks for my whole family and easy lunches. California rolls and whole-wheat gnocchi; lobster ravioli and pre-chopped vegetables for soups; and yogurt of every type. Full-fat, nonfat, Greek, goat’s milk … they have it all. It really is the perfect place to shop for people with varying palates, dietary needs and preferences – even picky toddlers.

On any given trip, a good third of my cart is food for my 2-year-old son – and that includes frozen handcrafted enchiladas, organic blueberry waffles and, of course, the fixings for PB&J sandwiches.

Other must-haves include whole-wheat pizza dough (for calzones), frozen organic fruit (especially raspberries), balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, rice pudding and the most amazing frozen spinach artichoke dip that I totally do not admit to ever having consumed an entire bowl of with a spoon.

During my trips to Trader Joe’s, I always hear newcomers exclaiming over the unique offerings  -- organic superfruit spread, anyone? – and the affordable prices. It seems that "specialty stores" tend to be synonymous with hefty price tags, but I have found Trader Joe’s to be on par – and in many cases, cheaper than – traditional grocery stores.

Even close to closing on a Friday night, the aisles are filled with shoppers piling red-handled carts high with healthy goodies amid friendly employees in Hawaiian shirts. Because the University Place location is the only Trader Joe’s in Pierce County – there is a store in Olympia, and one opened in Silverdale this week – the clientele is diverse. It seems that I am not the only one willing to venture out of their neighborhood for groceries.  

After all, who wouldn’t be willing to drive a bit for miniature peanut-butter cups?