When I get home, I usually make a salad from the fresh veggies I've bought, or try one of the new soups or dips that I discovered. And when I do so I feel very European.
When I was in Todi, Italy almost exactly a year ago, there was only one grocery store in the whole city, and that was only about the size of the corner store on my street at home. Instead, every street had a small shop (more like the size of my bedroom), where one could buy anything they really needed. These stores always smelled heavenly and they seemed always to be run by the most adorable, little, old men. My aunt would trot downstairs to the shop downstairs from our apartment and would pick up everything she needed to fix us dinner: meat, veggies, fresh herbs, fruit for dessert. Those meals were the freshest I've ever had.
I don't care if fruit goes bad after several days - that's what fruit does. I'd rather shop for smaller quantities more often then buy things that are under-ripe or full of preservatives to make them last longer. I guess as long as there's a Trader Joe's around, I won't have to move to Europe.
