# Groceries you buy often that others don't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125 "2025-07-20T20:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/41 "2025-07-21T17:23:55Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Me too - two kinds. The brine-packed flats (for salads) and the tinned in olive oil kind (for everything else). Just last night I made a boring marinara sauce that I was able to save with some anchovies and red pepper flakes ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/42 "2025-07-21T17:34:38Z")
No-salt added canned green beans, 2-3 cases at a time (12 per case). I’ve been feeding a can of green beans to my dogs every night for the past ~15 years. They’re the cheapest at Wal Mart (64 cents per) so I go there every month or so and get some. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/43 "2025-07-21T18:20:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > You made all of those up, right? Although I have heard of fatback. Not sure exactly what it is. Pink tea and zuzu crackers appear in a song by Skipper Macy called “Goofin’.” Zuzu crackers also made an appearance in It’s A Wonderful Life. Frim Fram Sauce is a song by Nat King Cole. Fatback and corn liquor is a song by Louis Jordan. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/44 "2025-07-21T20:14:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I might make that today! I did make it today, and it is fantastic. I only made half the recipe using one bag of something called “Power Slaw.” I’ve made ramen noodle salad before but never though of toasting the noodles. I crushed about half of them into tiny nubs, but left the rest in bite-sized pieces–yum! I ate some right away and it was fantastic–the dressing is great. But after it sits in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, it will be really good. Roughage, here I come. 🙂 [![](https://i.imgur.com/scFPPZf.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/scFPPZf.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/CrrObKB.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/CrrObKB.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/45 "2025-07-21T21:06:36Z")
Nice! Yes it’s much better when it’s had a few hours to sit and chill in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/46 "2025-07-21T21:19:23Z")
Full disclosure: I kept thinking about it sitting there in the fridge. How long has it been? Only an hour? Well I just went in and got out the container and ate half of it. So delicious! So maybe the rest of it will last till dinner time. 😋 Leaving some of the ramen noodles in little chunks turned out to be really good. Because it gives you something substantial to bite into that’s not vegetable. This is definitely going into my regular rotation. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/47 "2025-07-21T21:21:46Z")
I’ve been a little flummoxed trying to explain cottage cheese to my co-workers who are unfamiliar with it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/48 "2025-07-21T21:24:40Z")
ERA: @ThelmaLou 2 posts up. Next time make a double batch. And eat one after an hour, and one later. Like 2 hours. Lather, rinse, repeat making one additional batch each time until the last batch lasts a week. Might be 3; might be 12. But at least then you’ll know. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/49 "2025-07-21T21:27:06Z")
We eat a lot of legumes, so dried beans (mostly black, but some navy and occasionally chickpea) and tofu are weekly purchases. Oh, and my wife goes through an astonishing amount of walnuts. But we’re honestly pretty basic. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/50 "2025-07-21T21:45:16Z")
We old folks need to be prudent when introducing that much fiber into the system. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/51 "2025-07-21T22:37:12Z")
Cincinnati chili. Bleh! 😏 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/52 "2025-07-21T22:43:27Z")
My wife buys garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) semi-frequently. > **[File:HK 深水埗 Sham Shui Po 104 福華街 Fuk Wa Street 圓方餃子粥麵 Yuen Fong restaurant green 韮菜 Allium tuberosum Dec 2018 SSG 01.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK_%E6%B7%B1%E6%B0%B4%E5%9F%97_Sham_Shui_Po_104_%E7%A6%8F%E8%8F%AF%E8%A1%97_Fuk_Wa_Street_%E5%9C%93%E6%96%B9%E9%A4%83%E5%AD%90%E7%B2%A5%E9%BA%B5_Yuen_Fong_restaurant_green_%E9%9F%AE%E8%8F%9C_Allium_tuberosum_Dec_2018_SSG_01.jpg)** ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/53 "2025-07-21T22:45:33Z")
Garlic chives sound delicious - does she use them in Asian recipes? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/54 "2025-07-21T22:56:03Z")
> [@Eric1](#): > > does she use them in Asian recipes? She’s Chinese, so arguably everything she cooks is an Asian recipe. But yes, she usually uses them in dumplings or stir-fries. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/55 "2025-07-21T22:59:32Z")
A great tip! I love to make dumplings so will search them out in the local market. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/56 "2025-07-21T23:04:55Z")
Ribena. I make it more diluted than what the bottle suggests. Then get it really cold, mmm, so good! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/57 "2025-07-21T23:23:36Z")
Yeah. The only problem with an unlimited supply of [whatever] food is sometimes we do a credible imitation of a dog and eat ourselves into sickness. Popcorn is my weak spot. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/58 "2025-07-21T23:54:54Z")
Oddly enough, I live like 90 minutes from Cincinnati, and I’ve never heard of cinnamon in chili as “Cincinnati Chili.” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/59 "2025-07-22T00:00:13Z")
Are you not familiar with Skyline Chili? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/60 "2025-07-22T01:29:21Z")
I’ve eaten there a time or two, but never paid much attention to the ingredients. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125.md?page=4)