Who among us hasn’t stolen a look at another shopper’s cart in the grocery store line-up and passed judgment? And if you happen upon a lost grocery list, why, it’s as much of a vicarious thrill as reading someone’s diary. You can tell a lot about a person by what they put in their grocery cart, after all.
This grocery list, found at a Wal-Mart store, has been making the rounds online for the past week or so. The spelling, as has been noted everywhere, is atrocious. The list itself, while including some fruits and vegetables and cooking basics, also calls for a lot of ready-meals, dump and stir mixes, or outright junkified prepared foods.
At first glance, most people might be quick to make assumptions on the type of people this list belongs to. Found in a Wal-Mart, they must be white trash. Poor spelling, they must be white trash. Tons of junk food, they must be white trash. Overall quantity of food – they must be fat and gross… and white trash. The more you peruse the list, the more (derogatory) assumptions you could come up with. Don’t believe me? Just read the comments. At least some people are aware that they’re being snobs, but still, it’s fun to take the piss.
I’m not surprised by the list. I wish parts of it were healthier, but there are at least fruit and veg, there appears to be some consideration for actual meals, even if they’re not especially healthy or appealing to snobs (food or otherwise). There are treats for the kids, and although the dairy items are not the healthiest of options, they do hit the four basic food groups.
So now I’m wondering what people might think of me, from either getting a look at my basket or if I happened to drop my grocery list. I live within close proximity of 3 different supermarket chains, and I shop at specialty stores and markets a fair bit. I might have 4 or 5 different grocery lists on the go at any one time, and depending on which one you look at, they could make me look like a food snob (organic meat, fair trade chocolate, artisanal cheese), a vegan hippie (tofu, sprouts, nori), or a lonely single lady who never cooks (juice, toilet paper, cat food, capers, cling wrap).
In the summer I buy most of my produce at the farmers’ market. My supermarket list rarely includes anything green or alive. Anyone looking at my basket or coming across my list would likely be horrified. Do I have to start explaining myself to the people in line behind me?
It’s fun, in a way, to see how other people live. Especially if it allows us to feel smug and superior. But a glance into someone else’s life is just that, a glance, and it rarely tells the whole story.
So… what does your grocery list say about you?