Food shopping away from supermarkets

[Katys Grandad]

My wife and I are currently on the Gulf Coast in a rented condo. We have visited the US and Florida in particular many times. As I suspect most people do, we use the usual supermarkets (WalMart, Publix etc..) for our food shop. Yesterday, because we were looking to purchase some specific items, we decided to look elsewhere.

However, it has only just occurred to us that in all the years we have visted the US we have never seen a butcher's shop. There are a few meat counters in supermarkets like in Tesco at home but I'm pretty sure the UK style butcher doesn't exist in the US.

Am I right and is anybody aware of other types of UK shop that don't have a US equivalent?

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
Am I right and is anybody aware of other types of UK shop that don't have a US equivalent?
[/quote]

You could be right. I have not seen the traditional village Greengrocer that you still find in many 'quaint' British towns and very commonly in Europe anywhere in the US. The closest have been some independent outlets in smaller towns, but they simply look like smaller supermarkets.

[jolliffee]

When we lived just North of NYC you could find a butcher, baker and well lots of what were called ethnic fod shops. Scottish, German and Jewish but I have to say I have not noticed any of these in Florida. You could try looking in Yellow pages if you are very keen to find one. [msnsmile2]

[Katys Grandad]

Nostromo & Jolliffee

Thanks for your replies - it was more of a case of us just realising something that we had never thought about before. We went into Publix and asked where we might find a fresh chicken and were given the response, "Sorry - I don't know what you mean"!!

You never go hungry over here though do you?

[jolliffee]

I now what you mean, most likely the supermarkets have the freshest food anyway. You are right it is hard not to eat a lot, trouble is you get used to it really quickly.[msnembarrased]

[Nostromo]

Ijust remembered; a few years ago, we were travelling through Vermont and New Hampshire and there WERE some old fashioned food shops there, including a butcher. But on the whole, such shops will be few and far between in the USA.

The drive from Vermont to Orlando is a bit too long even for an enthusiast. [msnwink]

[SunLover]

Having said all that, it is heading that way too in the UK. We hear all the time about little independent shops being run out of business by the big supermarkets.

I think it's what they call progress [msnscared] supposedly !!!

[Mo Green]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SunLover
Having said all that, it is heading that way too in the UK. We hear all the time about little independent shops being run out of business by the big supermarkets.

I think it's what they call progress [msnscared] supposedly !!!
[/quote]

My brother had to close his UK butchers shop through a supermarket opening nearby. Now there's an idea for him - an English style butchers with lots of different flavoured sausages for the barbecue[msnwink]

[Mo Green]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
My wife and I are currently on the Gulf Coast in a rented condo. We have visited the US and Florida in particular many times. As I suspect most people do, we use the usual supermarkets (WalMart, Publix etc..) for our food shop. Yesterday, because we were looking to purchase some specific items, we decided to look elsewhere.

However, it has only just occurred to us that in all the years we have visted the US we have never seen a butcher's shop. There are a few meat counters in supermarkets like in Tesco at home but I'm pretty sure the UK style butcher doesn't exist in the US.

Am I right and is anybody aware of other types of UK shop that don't have a US equivalent?
[/quote]

Not sure where you are staying on the Gulf Coast but there is a good Farmers Market in McCall Road, Englewood. Great for lots of lovely fresh veggies and fruit.

[Katys Grandad]

There are roadside fruit and veg stalls here and there. I can't honestly say I have ever used them but they seem to be doing OK because one that I do know of has been there since at least 1987 when we first started coming here.

I am on Sanibel which you might expect to have small suppliers. Unfortunately, as Nostromo has observed above, they are really just smaller versions of the big supermarkets but more expensive. The quality's OK, it's just that you have to buy in the quantity they have decided to put in the pre-packed trays. We thought it would be nice to go to a shop and buy a chicken, a couple of steaks and perhaps a roasting joint in the sizes we need. I agree that this is becoming more difficult to do even at home.

Thanks for everbody's interest in our little dilemma!