28.10.2018. A Trip to the Supermarket

America. The land of plenty.
Is plenty too much, and more - never enough?

It seems so. This entry can be regarded as part of a food rant, an introduction - because a meal nowadays inevitably starts at the supermarket. The first time I went grocery shopping here, I was overwhelmed. To give you an insight, I've made a few charts comparing the packaging size of everyday items, the smallest and largest available in a regular supermarket (Fred Meyer vs Maxima). These do NOT include snack-size or single-serve items.

As one can see, the size of small bread loaf is twice the size in Alaska.

The huge difference here is with the large size - again, twice as big. Same goes for cheese: the smallest size in Latvia is 100g vs 170g in Alaska, whereas the largest: 500g vs 1020g. Again, twice the size.
The shocker, however, comes with the 'unhealthy' food department. Let's see what happens with potato chips.

Not only is the large size twice as big (again), the small size here is actually the large size in Latvia. This is bad, guys. It's rather alarming. Obviously, buying a large pack tempts one to finish it quicker, chips being an addictive food item. This is where it's going wrong.
I also compared the count of available items labeled 'snacks' (including chips, cookies, crackers, popcorn, snack nuts and similar):

Like, this is not even funny. 271 versus 3041. This is not a matter of smaller/larger store; the other departments are relatively similar in terms of variety of items. These foods take up a huge space in the supermarket, and, inevitably, in household cupboards.

As a Latvian, I am surely missing some good, dark, dense rye bread. Now, it is no secret that rye bread is more beneficial to the human body, simply because it releases carbohydrates slower and contains more fiber. So, I compared the proportion of white/wheat, dark, and seeded breads available in supermarkets:

In Alaska, there is no variety in bread whatsoever - the brand and the additives maybe, but all in all, it's all white, processed, and tasteless. The Latvian situation looks much, much better in terms of variety, white bread taking up the smallest amount of space.

Convenience is another huge thing. There is a ready-made or baking-mix version for EVERYTHING. I never knew it was so difficult to mix some damn eggs and flour and milk but there we are, otherwise there wouldn't be a need for 109 varieties of baking mixes (vs 27 in Latvia).

(Ok. I admit. I bought pre-shredded cabbage this week. I wouldn't if it were not for a broken elbow. Makes it a pain (literally) to cut stuff.)

Me sliding towards a broken arm and shredded cabbage.

I'll just leave this comparison here to let everyone figure out for themselves what to do about it. Conclusion? Stuff is huge, quick, and unhealthy. People load their carts with the stuff. But hey, 'I'm big-boned. It runs in my family.'

*nopes out*

(references: fredmeyer.com / barbora.lv)