BS: New rules for Grocery shopping

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 05:43 AM

The Tesco Extra store near to me is operating a limit of three items per customer to stop people stockpiling. This is a sensible precaution on non-perishable items but it has been extended to all items in the store. The fruit and veg section has been well stocked throughout the crisis. I tried to buy a small punnet of raspberries, the same size of blueberries and one each of black and green grapes. I was told that I would have to put one back. The raspberries and blueberries went back with the many others with a best-before date of either that day or the following day. This blinkered approach is completely wasteful and serves no purpose other than pushing people to stockpile preerved and frozen goods.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Mr Red
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 04:45 AM

Some States are declaring Liquor stores the same as grocery stores.

for self-medicating obviously.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: robomatic
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 10:48 PM

As I'm typing I'm near the television listening to a State government press conference state-wide call-in with the Governor of Alaska, a gentlemen well hated by people I used to have coffee with, when Starbucks had an indoor venue. But right this moment the Governor is handling himself well, with State experts clearly knowledgeable and call-ins from newspapers all round the State. It's what I've come to expect from the practicality of Alaskans. And we are a small enough society that I recognized one of the call-in voices, someone I've met at Starbucks and know from my religious community. The Governor is dressed casually, he's a lot younger than the national leaders who get on TV with their ponderous pronouncements. He speaks well and his people speak well on this issue. His medical expert is even younger; she speaks extremely well and like an adult explaining things to adults. Next to her is a guy in a black shirt with a pale blue tie, the best dressed guy up there, and he's the ASL translator. A maximum of efficiency and coherence and night and day better than listening to the U.S. President's toxic pontificating.

I went walking earlier outside down the nearby roads. We have tons of snow on the ground, but the sun is giving us heat today, 5 minutes more per day as we're just past the equinox. There are few cars on the roads, but there are some other walkers, some on the slippery sidewalks, others on the mostly melted out roadway. The sun is making the difference today. I had time to get to know a neighbor I've never exchanged a word with before.

It's reminiscent of when I was waiting for a plane on a business trip, and having a vigorous discussion where I was giving my opinion of a well known conservative broadcaster, and my co-workers were in extreme disagreement. As we boarded the smallish commuter craft it turned out I didn't have my hearing protection, and without a hesitation one of my 'opponents' handed me his spares. And I would've done the same for him.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 09:22 AM

Yes I do Donuel, as I've said on here. They were in use until 1954. I well remember accompanying my mother to the grocer's with the Ration Book at the ready. The system was very strict. I think it could be done electronically nowadays while this Corona virus lasts.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 08:42 AM

Does anyone remember rationing coupon books?

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 08:08 PM

We're not offering to sample it any time soon, mate...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 07:42 PM

I just realised one of the packs of lavish premium Andrex bogrolls
my mrs reluctantly paid top price for,
is "enriched with extracts of Coconut Oil for extra indulgence"..

..crikey.. my bum is going to smell/taste like a Piña colada...!!!

..aren't fancy posh folks weird...???

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 07:34 PM

"UK McD 'restaurants' to close ... [BBC news]"

Oh no! That means we can no longer furtively nip in to have a McShit...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 07:31 PM

When I started teaching in east London in 1973, the gents in my school had only that Izal-style bog paper. Every sheet had "Property of London County Council" printed on it, and the toilet roll holder had a lock on one end to prevent theft of the roll. I understood that only the schoolkeeper and head teacher had a key to it...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 07:30 PM

UK McD 'restaurants' to close ... [BBC news]

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 05:27 PM

I've been thinking that the people addicted to fast food are going to be floundering, out of their depth, while the people who prefer wholefoods and home cooking will probably have an advantage.

Just imagine having to go cold turkey on fast foods if you are used to having it once or more per day.

Australia is going into shutdown mode from this afternoon. Not lockdown - yet! But non-essential shops have to shut.

Does Macca's (McDonalds) count as essential or non-essential?

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 05:02 PM

Dead or alive no one wins unless everyone wins. There is a chance that we close the inequity gap a bit after centuries of expansion or we make it larger by being cattle to the slaughter. There is a great equalizer at our back like a gale blowing all of us into the future.

Take ADVANTAGE. You are going to have to give it much thought in the months to come and take action in ways you haven't yet imagined.

Or would you rather die silenty for your Ceasar.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 04:58 PM

Hahaha Dave! I just knew someone would say that!

I too am not keen on modern toilet paper. It does seem too flimsy, and I always did like Izal. (At school we used it for comb-and-paper kazoo-type instruments!)But there's nothing worse than old ladies harping on about how things were so much better in the old days.

All his life my husband has never ever used toilet paper! I quite admire that.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 04:46 PM

Stoned prunes?

Weren't they a 60s acid rock band?

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: MudGuard
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 04:05 PM

Here in Germany (Munich) supermarkets don't have
- toilet paper
- rice (at least the cheap varieties, of Uncle Ben's is still a bit available)
- pasta (same here, cheap ones sold out, high price pasta still available in small amounts)
- tomatoes in any conserved form (tomato mark, canned tomatoes, strained(?) tomatoes))
- flour
- yeast (dry powder or in cubes)

All other stuff is available in close to normal quantities.

At the checkouts in some markets acrylic shields are there to protect the cashiers from accidental spittle drops.

People queueing at the checkouts keep about 2m distance from each other. And they avoid entering aisles where already someone else is in.

About the increased toilet paper usage due to home office (since Tuesday): in my case, there is no increased need - I always tried to avoid going to the office toilets for "big business", I usually s(h)it at home ...

I wish good health to everyone!

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:51 PM

pfr, Magda Szubanski, Dog Woman. She's the funniest, cleverest, and most interesting person on our screens. She's the best!!

She was also in Babe, but she hit our screens in the '80's in a TV skit show called Fast Forward.

While in lockdown watching everything you can find with Magda in it would be the best therapy in the world. IMHO.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:41 PM

That never happened with Bronco

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:34 PM

My mrs found 2 unsold packs of the really expensive quilted Andrex bogrolls in the nearby Tesco Express yesterday...

I could get used to such luxury..

But it still tears, and fingers poke through, just like any common folks cheap bogrolls...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Mrrzy
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:31 PM

Going to store tomorrow when I have to go somewhere anyway... Salt, almonds. Grapefruit juice.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:29 PM

Waaaaah! Spider under the seat!!! Excellent cure for constipation!!

We visited a huge Morrisons and an enormous Tesco this morning in Norwich. Both almost deserted, it was very weird. Skeleton staff of very old ladies and young teenagers, only about five checkouts in action. Spotlessly clean, with people constantly swabbing down all the surfaces.
Like you Steve we managed to get small amounts of vegetables, tomatoes, fruit juice, and packets of grapes, cherries, dates and stoned prunes.
But the atmosphere was so strange.
Washed our hands religiously when we got home.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:29 PM

Off topic - that Aussie TV series about the snake woman, and her Scots bloke and dog team..

Found it on random channel hopping, and got addicted for every episode...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:19 PM

You get used to it. The majority of our scary critters only attack you if you annoy them. That includes looking at them to see if they would be a delicious meal.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:16 PM

.. it's bad enough worrying about running out of bog roll,
without the added anxiety of what deadly spiders might be hiding under the seat...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:13 PM

From what I've heard about big scary Aussie bugs..

They're more likely to eat us...!!!???

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:07 PM

The panic re: bug farms comes when you actually have to eat them, not when you are hoping they still have some to sell to you.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:02 PM

Went into Bude Sainsbury's this affie and came out with paracetamol, milk, oranges, toms, organic carrots and a bag of fine beans. The veg section was a bit sparse, but apart from that it was all quiet, civil, friendly and non-panicky.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:00 PM

.. Info here: but no longer available on iplayer..

BBC Wales bug farm shop

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 02:54 PM

There's a bug farm shop in west Wales..

We wondered if they have experienced panic buying...???

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 02:52 PM

Some States are declaring Liquor stores the same as grocery stores.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 02:17 PM

Donuel chewing on the odd household cockroache may do wonders for the obesity epidemic, but is hardly a long term solution for a balanced diet.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 01:30 PM

Life is always a challenge. Life is overcoming the challenges. Death is giving up.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 12:40 PM

With 1.4 million being instructed to self isolate in the uk groceries are going to be a challenge for them in days to come.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 11:28 AM

Grocery clerks and shelf stockers are in the public consciousness and being lauded as essential workers, but the delivery drivers who bring things from stores, the warehouse workers and the shipping companies are in a different situation; those companies often don't offer paid sick leave. I'm thinking that it might be better to wait till a quiet time of day and try to find what I need instead of setting the delivery process in motion for those overworked warehouse and delivery employees. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/business/coronavirus-ups-fedex-xpo-workers.html

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 11:18 AM

Schmart. Grocery clerks are now first responders and our front line of defense.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 11:13 AM

In Ontario, supermarkets are installing plexiglass screens to separate cashiers from customers. Credit and debit cards only, and just the tap-and-go kind.

I wonder how the oldest-school Mennonites will manage the new order; the horse-and-carriage folks are strictly cash.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 03:59 AM

Went to the local farm center yesterday for a few seed trays to replace come broken ones. The counter was barrier taped off about a metre back and chequered markings on the floor to keep people separated. It tested your agility to actually place the goods on the counter to be scanned.
A notice also requested cashless payments if possible. It will be interesting to see how the local supermarkets are reacting, I have not been in one for over a week.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 06:58 PM

Aqua faba is fab (sorry....) I try to never chuck it away. Just don't buy cans of beans that have added salt or other flavourings, that's all.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 06:56 PM

I had a bad year on me veg plot last year. I had massive and often surprising issues with birds, rabbits and deer. I got no crops of beans or spuds or greens. The tomatoes were OK but by the time they were coming in I'd sort of lost heart. My raspberries succumbed big time to grey mould too, in contrast to the year before, when I got stones of the things. So this year I'm going go be a damn sight more vigilant. I have Foremost and Nicola spuds well sprouted and they're going in next week. I avoid mains because I nearly always get blight, and they cop it far worse than earlies and second-earlies. I'm sowing Sungold and San Marzano tomatoes, along with broad beans, French beans and runner beans. I always get a good crop of wild rocket and chives without sowing. The parsnips will go in next week too. The all-female cucumbers can wait until May. Next month I'll sow my summer and early purple broccoli. And parsley, lots of that. I've probably forgotten something...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 06:46 PM

Also, I've probably said this on Mudcat before, possibly in the recipe thread, but do you know you can use the bean water from a can of chickpeas or butter beans or white beans etc as a substitute for egg white? It's known as aquafaba i.e. bean water, if you want to look up recipes.

I made some very yummy meringues with them, took them to a family lunch and no one could tell the difference. The possibilities are amazing.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Helen
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 03:54 PM

pfr, you can grow veges and herbs in pots.

I'm not an expert. Our veges sink or swim with very little help from us.

At present we have some rectangular self watering pots with lots of oregano and in our raised vege beds we have an overrun of mint - not a bad thing. It's always touch and go with my attempts on growing thyme.

We recently bought some Japanese eggplant seedlings and they have already yielded about four long thin eggplants the size of large zucchinis.

A pumpkin vine has escaped from the compost bin and so far we have two large ones sitting in the sun waiting to ripen and two medium ones still on the vine. They can take a long time to ripen but when ripe the pumpkin can be baked or steamed and then frozen for future use. I wouldn't recommend pumpkin vines because they take up too much space but there might be smaller plant varieties which could be grown in a big pot. Zucchinis can be good but I've had no luck recently partly because of the drought, and partly because I'm a forgetful gardener.

Onions take too long to mature, but spring onions etc are quicker.

Hubby discovered a trick for growing basil. Buy one of those pots of basil in the supermarket and chop the tops off, strip all but the topmost leaves and put the cuttings in water, making sure that there is a leaf node on each stem under water. After a while some rootlets form and then you can plant them into pots to grow more basil. Repeat ad infinitum.

I took the seeds out of a chili and planted them a couple of weeks ago and now there are lots of seedlings. I'll plant them in a bigger pot, socially distanced of course, to give them room to grow.

I'm thinking about getting some cos lettuce seedlings. We've had problems before with tomatoes and capsicums because something eats them but I have a little section on the front verandah with pots of this and that including the chili seedlings so I'll probably try some there. There is mesh on the verandah to stop the cats taking a flying leap but it should also prevent those annoying Indian mynah pest-birds from getting at the chilies, capsicums and tomatoes.

We have a blueberry bush but it doesn't yield much. A raspberry plant has popped up thanks to the pest-birds and their poop, I'm guessing. The last one yielded enough to make it fun so we'll see how this one goes. It's in a big pot. Strawberries are good too.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 03:23 PM

Perhaps we have some emergency volunteer mods flexing their muscles,
while the usual ones who know us better
hunker down safe somewhere;
or are far more preoccupied driving around hunting for toilet rolls...???

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 03:11 PM

I'll repeat my deleted post by copying the two that have been allowed to remain as well

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains - PM
Date: 20 Mar 20 - 09:01 PM

He should be so lucky! We have to deal with Corbyn-19.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains - PM
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 03:50 AM

Tyhere are only 2 culprits trying to score political points. Why not address Jim and shaw directly?

If this post is deleted again while the source is allowed to stand there is something decidedly odd.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 02:20 PM

Bring back ration cards I say. It's been a few years since I last saw mine. Haven't needed it since about 1954. It would be an easy thing to accomplish as it could all be computerised and linked to Nat Ins. No, passport, car reg, marital status and census data, and any gaps in the knowledge of government as to who and what you are could easily be filled in by google and probably your internet linked TV and computer.
If you keep schtum Alexa could easily be persuaded to betray you.
"Turn on, tune in, drop out" may be a counterculture-era phrase popularized by Timothy Leary but today society is permanently turnedon and tuned in, Sadly dropping out is no longer an option available.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 02:03 PM

I'm really sorry, moderator, but it's utterly outrageous that you allowed this to stand whilst deleting my civil response to it:

"Tyhere are only 2 culprits trying to score political points. Why not address Jim and shaw directly?"

Every one of my posts in this thread has been on-topic and non-political, and Jim hasn't even posted to this thread at all. It's a downright lie to state that the two of us are "trying to score political points." I could also have pointed to another one of his that you've kept in place, the one containing a nasty slur against the Labour leader calling him "Corbyn-19." I really don't understand what you think you're doing, and would ask that you review and rectify your actions in this thread. Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 01:59 PM

I grew up in a post war build council house [fit for heroes].
Sturdy construction, and big front and back gardens..

Throughout my childhood my dad grew all our vegetables..

Factory work all day, gardening for relaxation on the evenings and weekends..
His shed was his sanctuary..
Quite a stable lifestyle back then..

Now in a long term crisis, I'd have to break up concrete in our tiny town centre back yard,
and then haven't a clue how to do gardening.
Because I was more interested in rock music and girls,
than helping my dad out and learning from him in his garden..

But at least I know veg grows in the ground,
which is probably more than a lot of modern kids now understand...

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 01:05 PM

Just went to Asda to try and find some Scotch bonnet chillies. Husband very pleased to get a couple of small packets of them. I got spinach too. We were glad to see a rule being enforced - only three of any item. Many of the shelves were empty nonetheless, and the workers looked terribly tired and stressed.
I'm not keen on Asda anyway, but it's very multi-cultural with people of all races and types, which I do like. We scuttled out of there, after visiting the Western Union booth. The chap couldn't do a money transfer to Ivory Coast, as their whole system is down.
No need to buy anything else for quite a while, and the village shop will be perfectly adequate.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Iains
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 11:31 AM

A lot cheaper to order off amazon. Bakers yeast.brewing yeast ......
Let your fingers do the walking!

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 10:01 AM

Wilkinsons sell home brew kit...???

Wilko Gervin English Ale Yeast 11g
£2.00

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 07:09 AM

Eyup, Dave, a homebrew shop in Bude? Not a chance! There MIGHT be one in Barnstaple (one hour), or Exeter (75 minutes), or Plymouth ((ditto), or Truro (ditto)... Haven't checked. But I've already scoured Barnstaple and Truro shops for bakers' yeast...not a chance! The health shop in Bude can't get any. I still have half a pot of old stuff that might still work, though I haven't used any for a month or three. I've been getting lazy and buying Sainsbury's sourdough pavé, which is rather good...

Apropos of so-called panic buying, I think it's transforming from "I must stock up in case it runs out" to "I must stock up because I suddenly might not be allowed out." The latter is a bit more understandable.

Subject: RE: BS: New rules for Grocery shopping
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Mar 20 - 07:07 AM

NYC farmers market (Union Station) is open but Maryland has shut down its farmers mkt