($63.96 later...)Like everything here in St. Thomas, getting groceries involves quite the process. Granite, living in Humboldt County California spoiled me in this regard. My best friend/neighbor in Arcata, a farmer, gave me free fresh organic produce whenever I wanted. During harvest season, arguably the best farmer’s market in the country occurs five minutes from my old house. And even though I thought the groceries there were expensive, at least the products quality was top-shelf.
Here, four grocery stores appear on my radar. The most conveniently located, Marina Market, sports the highest prices. A small package of bacon runs $9.99; a loaf of store-brand wheat bread sets the wallet back $6; and the produce, priced comparably high, would fail all FDA regulations stateside any day. The owner justifies prices with a poster-sized version of the monthly electric bill of $26,000 displayed for all to see when exiting Marina Market. After shopping at Marina Market on several occasions, I went in search of a more reasonably priced grocer.
Luckily a five-minute Safari bus ride down the road toward town (Charlotte Amalie) leads to Food Center. The locals who do not own cars get around by the Safari bus system, which costs $1/in country and $2/to town. Usually, I am the only white person riding. The route loops one direction from Red Hook (east end) through Bovoni to Charlotte Amalie (central) through Smith Bay back to Red Hook. Along the loop unmarked “bus stops” exist, locals know their locations. The driver will stop for passengers to hop on if they just point. Hitch hiking works the same, no thumbs used here. Made by retrofitting typical pickup trucks into Safari busses, passengers enter one of 4 rows of seats from the left side of the vehicle. Once climbing up the 3 steps, I usually scoot over to the right side if no other passengers occupy the bench. This can make exiting a little tricky, but I prefer to look out than be squished in between two other sweaty people. The benches hold 4-5 people, depending on passenger and bench size. Contrary to what I practice, proper etiquette includes first come first serve policy. Meaning it is totally legit to sit on the edge seat, forcing people to crawl over you and your prime real estate seat.
But getting back to groceries. Offering lower prices than Marina Market for most products, I became a dedicated Food Center customer. Their produce wasn’t even rotten! Unfortunately, the Safari bus route only travels one direction. This means, I must hoof it up a steep scary road with no sidewalk, call a five-dollar cab, or hitch. With the risk of death by car, an expensive taxi, or a guaranteed pervert picking me up, Food Center lost two stars on my Best Grocers of St. Thomas rating.
With my bagel supply dwindling, I decided I needed to further explore options this time around. I deemed today grocery day. After a morning nap from 11-12, I scrambled out of the house and down the hill by 12:15, feeling guilty for wasting precious daylight hours asleep. I took the Safari bus to town where Miss J had taken me to The Fruit Bowl. Manageable prices, organic produce and plenty of options make it my favorite grocery store. Unfortunately, before I went to Fruit Bowl, I thought it a good idea to check out Pueblo, another store down the street. They have all right prices too but not the same quality as Fruit Bowl.
The only problem—the ride back to Red Hook on the Safari bus is cramped even without a backpack full of groceries and a plastic bag of eggs and juice. Not to mention some of the Safari busses are smaller than others, like the one I had on the ride back today. Squished between a sweaty West Indie lady and a creepy guy with an extra long pinky fingernail and reeking of marijuana, I prayed for the moment I could crawl out of the bus and hike up the hill to Lloyd’s Place.
No comments:
Post a Comment