Half kilo pumpernickel bread. First ingredient: whole kernel rye. Then some water to soften the grain and and whole rye flour to glue it together. Close to the end of the very short ingredients list: oat fiber as if whole grains and whole grain flour weren’t enough to get you going. Which they aren’t for Germans, the people most concerned with regularity. And what does Germany have to do with it? That’s where it’s made. Imported bread from a first world country for $1.69. That is less than what most groceries charge for Wonder Bread, which is baked a dozen miles from here but which comes from, conceptually, a million miles away.
Pumpernickel, Swiss cheese, and brown mustard, the perfect lunch.
They have a very dense, moist whole grain and oat bread too. With sliced ham, swiss, and Dijon mustard, baked chips and cinnamon almonds for dessert. . . all bought on the cheap at Aldi.
Brian Aldis? No, that’s “Aldiss”. Oh, the budget supermarket chain. Strange how it seems to be known as “Aldi’s” in the US. Here, it’s just “Aldi”, although we do do the apostrophe-S thing for other chains.
Or my favorite, making Chicagoans sound like stuttering snakes for nearly 100 years: Dominicks’s
Yes, it’s a very common Chicagoland thing to add an 's to brand names. You shoulda seen the argument we had here on the Dope once about those little plastic bricks sold in the toy section. Y’know, Legos? That “s” 'bout made some European heads explode.
I love Aldi a lot. Their quality has much improved over the last 10 years; I’ll even buy produce there now.
And the apostrophe S is not a screwed up plural but a screwed up possessive. My wife pronounces Jewel (Albertsons to many of you) as “Jewel’s,” like many South Siders.
I added to the lunch with some red cabbage, but it’s from Holland and lacks caraway seeds and bacon so it is less than perfect.
Yes, as mentioned by WhyNot, this is very much a Chicago thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if other locales do it, but it’s one of the things that distinguishes one as a Chicagoan. (Although I can’t recall hearing anyone call it Dominicks’s.) Legos (plural) seems to be a more US-wide thing, but in my judgment, that’s not treating it as a possessive (like Chicagoans do when they add the ess), but as a count noun instead of a mass noun.
Yes, as mentioned by WhyNot, this is very much a Chicago thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if other locales do it, but it’s one of the things that distinguishes one as a Chicagoan. (Although I can’t recall hearing anyone call it Dominicks’s.) Legos (plural) seems to be a more US-wide thing, but in my judgment, that’s not treating it as a possessive (like Chicagoans do when they add the ess), but as a count noun which needs to be pluralized instead of a mass noun or material noun.
Yes, as mentioned by WhyNot, this is very much a Chicago thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if other locales do it, but it’s one of the things that distinguishes one as a Chicagoan. (Although I can’t recall hearing anyone call it Dominicks’s.) Legos (plural) seems to be a more US-wide thing, but in my judgment, that’s not treating it as a possessive (like Chicagoans do when they add the ess), but as a count noun which needs to be pluralized instead of a mass noun or material noun.
I can’t help but notice their prices on certain things are creeping up, though shoppng there is still a wonderful bargain. I love looking at the Sunday ad in the newspaper, not only is the food low in price, but I’m moved to make a point to stop by and snap up some of the limited -time tamales, schnitzel, or whatever the special of the week might be, before it’s sold out. Oh, and the flat canned fish (herring?) fillet in dill cream sauce? Heavenly on that rye bread!
We always go to Aldi when we’re visiting family. Of course they have a bigger selection there (such as Mueller Milk and the many wursts and breads which they can’t ship here. Brandy filled chocolates, etc. etc., but I have never been to one in the US.
If we want imported stuff, such as Marzipan, certain chocolates, etc., we buy from German Deli dot com or a place called “Harry’s Farmer’s Market”, in Marietta, GA. That’s also where I go for the “real” Dijon mustard. (I fancy myself a “mustard connossieur” (SP)).
But y’all mention rye bread? Is it the same as in Germany, and do they have something (I’ll have to translate - not allowed to post German words) called “Farmer’s Bread”? DELICIOUS.
I was just there today. Strawberries for $1.19, whole pineapple for $1.49, bunch o’ bananas for a dollar, goat cheese for $1.99. And I got the Lacura night cream, $3.99, which has stellar reviews over at Makeup Alley. I spent $27 on a bag of groceries/personal care and 3 flats of bottled water.
One thing that has a little bit of a learning curve is the fresh fruit. The strawberries I’ll have to eat this weekend or they’ll go bad, and the pineapple won’t be ripe for a week. I’ve lost a little money on spoiled and under ripe fruit. But when it’s half the price it’s not too big a deal.
Aldi is fine for some things, but Save-a-Lot (an American competitor) has many “no salt added” canned products, while Aldi has none. Save-a-Lot has better sodas, too, and the one I go to bags the groceries and doesn’t do the rent-a-cart thing. Prices seem to be about the same as Aldi prices.
Really? Hmm. Then the ones from Aldi last a long time before going bad. Either that or I like lightly fermented pineapple. Either way, the produce can be hit or miss. Does anyone know if their return policy includes produce? I’ve thought about bringing in the receipt when the fruit was just terrible, like a chalky, bad mini watermelon.
