have grocery store, will travel

food is a BIG deal in my family and it’s typically (relatively) easy to lure my kids away from their screens with the promise of a food-related adventure.

exploration through food is one of the best and richest (and most rewarding!) ways to learn about our world, whether it’s an open-air market in morocco or your own backyard garden serving as the unknown, untapped destination. food is universally understandable, accessible, and often intriguing and delightful, and can pique the curiosity of even the most stubbornly obsessed video game or youtube fanatic (not that i’m speaking from experience or anything).

one saturday found us treated to a deliciously lazy and underscheduled day in our usually chaotic lives. we needed to go to the grocery store, an almost daily requirement, and my husband mentioned checking out a new store he’d heard about from a friend. with earnest but vague promises to our kids that we’d get some sort of treat at this new store, we peeled ourselves off the couch and set out.

“hmmm...looks interesting,” my son allowed as we parked. “let’s go on a food adventure!” i said. and we stepped inside.

we were immediately overwhelmed (in the best possible way) by colorful displays of produce, fresh breads, extensive fish and meat counters, an impressive feta collection, seemingly endless aisles of canned and packaged goods, and, to our children’s immense delight, more candy options than they could carry. the most beautiful part was that there were dozens of things we had never seen or tried before from eastern europe, southeast asia, and the mediterranean. the place was both completely recognizable as a grocery store and at the same time, an edible trip around the globe.

we walked every aisle (and i mean, every. single. aisle.), pointing out unfamiliar foods, laughing, and grabbing new things to try. and, amazingly, there was no complaining or requests for screentime. a collective tummy-rumbling reminded us that it was almost lunchtime. we were ready to sample.

two hours later (right?!) and $200 lighter (at least the entertainment was free), we stepped back out into the sunshine. “wow, i LOVE that place! can we go back next weekend?” my son asked. “definitely!” my husband and i replied in tandem, as he offered me some spicy southeast asian snacks we had to try immediately, right there in the parking lot. and with that, we headed home to taste-test our russian candy haul.

full disclosure: travel is a major priority for us and we’ve traveled a good deal with our children from an extremely young age. though it’s not always easy, it is indisputably worth any airplane-crying and jet-lag adjusting that might ensue because of what we get to see and do and experience (and taste) on the journey.

with that said, local travel can be just as rewarding and eye-opening as traveling afar (and sometimes, travel is simply not possible), while offering an eas(ier) way to start dipping a toe in the water. the beauty is in sparking the curiosity, the openness to something new, and the exploration and experimentation you do together as a family.

it is all part of the adventure.