[Sca-cooks] Wider Availability (but maybe not the prices) for products carried by Akim's Surplus Grocery Supplier

[Mike C. Baker]

> For a small town in rural Tennessee, this kind of store was 
> rather unexpected.
> On the other hand, I am not aware of anything like it 
> (affordably) in nearby Nashville.  Have others on the list 
> discovered similar stores that they frequent for exotic 
> dainties?  I suspect that they remain quiet secrets if they do.

The (national?) chain "BigLots!" occasionally has similar availability
of somewhat exotic foods in shelf-stable packaging.

For example, tray-packaged babaganoush, hummus, and olive "dips" that
need no refrigeration and are packaged in quantities appropriate to a
pair of diners for one meal.  Price is such that I can leave two or
three plus packaged crackers / pita chips / bagel chips in the feast
gear indefinitely (rotating stock regularly, of course) as cheap
insurance against inedible or unavailable / sold out feasts.

  Liter-size bottles of extra-virgin olive oil, from "premium" brand
names, for 50% of the price in national grocery chains.  Sometimes,
spices in reasonable-size packaging still well within freshness dates...

> All kinds of Dickenson's preserves like Boysenberry, Cascade 
> Mountain Red Raspberry $.79-$1.25.

Yummmmmmmmm.  Dickensons does fruit-only (think BETTER than Smuckers
"Simply Fruit") very well indeed.

> There is a very large selection of exotic flavored basalmic 
> vinigars, hot sauces, international foods, etc..  Of course, 
> you find what is available when you get there; there is no 
> restocking of items on a regular basis.
> It's strictly luck of the draw.

Likewise for BigLots!

I can vouch for this kind of availability at BigLots! in three separate
states so far -- Texas [Garland, Barony of the Steppes], Pennsylvania
[Washington, Shire of Kings Crossing], and Illinois [Naperville, Town of
Ayreton / Shire of Vanished Wood].  Pennsylvania generally has had the
best variety and quantity in the foods area, Texas the least (but my
most recent stop there was at least four years ago).

Adieu, Amra / ttfn - Mike / Pax ... Kihe

Mike C. Baker
SCA: al-Sayyid Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra, F.O.B, OSCA
"Other": Reverend Kihe Blackeagle PULC (the DreamSinger Bard)
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