My top five foods at Trader Joe’s

One of the major perks of moving from the south side of Chicago to the west Boston suburbs is that even during rush hour, we are now less than 10 minutes away from Trader Joe’s. In an ode to the store, Laura McKenna recently posted her top 5 favorite foods to get there. While I ...

By Daniel W. Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

September 7, 2006, 6:46 PM

One of the major perks of moving from the south side of Chicago to the west Boston suburbs is that even during rush hour, we are now less than 10 minutes away from Trader Joe's. In an ode to the store, Laura McKenna recently posted her top 5 favorite foods to get there. While I respect Laura's opinion on a great many matters, I fear that my list is very different from hers. Without further ado: 1) Chocolate-covered espresso beans. Sweet Jesus, are they decadent. After many years of struggle and toil, my wife and I only consume these delectibles on the rarest of occasions. In a perfect world, however, I could scarf these things down every ten minutes with zero effect on my metabolism and BMI. 2) Cuban-style black beans. Steam some rice, saute some onions, and heat these up -- you have a tasty side dish in no time. 3) Lemonade. The perfect equipoise between sweet and tart, and a great treat during the summer. 4) Frozen mushroom medley. Here I'll give a nod to Laura and say that for convenience's sake, having a bage of these in the freezer is good when there is a sudden emergency for a mushroom stir-fry. 5) The rosemary-seasoned lamb roast. It's because of this product that my son once said, "There's nothing like some nice, cold lamb for dinner!" Now, if my children were doing this list, the Annie's Mac and Cheese and the frozen chicken nuggets would also be making appearances.

One of the major perks of moving from the south side of Chicago to the west Boston suburbs is that even during rush hour, we are now less than 10 minutes away from Trader Joe’s. In an ode to the store, Laura McKenna recently posted her top 5 favorite foods to get there. While I respect Laura’s opinion on a great many matters, I fear that my list is very different from hers. Without further ado:

1) Chocolate-covered espresso beans. Sweet Jesus, are they decadent. After many years of struggle and toil, my wife and I only consume these delectibles on the rarest of occasions. In a perfect world, however, I could scarf these things down every ten minutes with zero effect on my metabolism and BMI. 2) Cuban-style black beans. Steam some rice, saute some onions, and heat these up — you have a tasty side dish in no time. 3) Lemonade. The perfect equipoise between sweet and tart, and a great treat during the summer. 4) Frozen mushroom medley. Here I’ll give a nod to Laura and say that for convenience’s sake, having a bage of these in the freezer is good when there is a sudden emergency for a mushroom stir-fry. 5) The rosemary-seasoned lamb roast. It’s because of this product that my son once said, “There’s nothing like some nice, cold lamb for dinner!”

Now, if my children were doing this list, the Annie’s Mac and Cheese and the frozen chicken nuggets would also be making appearances.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

Tag: Culture