T-Joe's

I have a love/hate relationship with Trader Joe's -- and lately it's been on the downside. As a concept, I LOVE TJ's. It's a poor man's Whole Foods -- the two-buck chuck, the trendy foodstuffs, the healthy and organic options, and the ethnic foods which are just on this side of being too exotic. Mostly affordable. Mostly yummy. Truly, what's not to love?

Except for the fact that no matter what time of day or day of the week, there are 100 cars vying for 25 parking spots. Inside the store, it's even worse. To get to those yummy, trendy foods every self-pretentious hipster wants so badly, one must knock down three other customers to get to them. It's not that TJ's isn't well-stocked, it is. It's just that the check-out line queues well into the cramped and narrow aisles.

This isn't just life at the Silver Lake TJ's. It's the same at any Trader Joe's. Urban or suburban. Los Angeles or Chicago. I can imagine the new store requirements for the the TJ's location scout: Small parking lot? Check. Building is just a tad too small for a grocery store? Check. Yuppies and hipsters live nearby? Check. Perfect stage-setting for the the TJ experience.

Now, I need to go make the delicious cioppinno I found at Trader Joe's. It's the perfect winter seafood stew.