What stuff do you order from the deli counter on your daily/weekly trip to the grocery store? I see tons of stuff like "Olive loaf" and wonder who orders that. Obvioiusly someone does because they wouldn't keep stocking it but I never hear anyone ask for it.
Typically I order a 1/2 pound of Krakus ham, 1/2 pound of Fit & Trim turkey breast and 1/2 pound of Dietz & Watson Baby Swiss. That lasts me about a week for lunch or late night snacking. I also like the bread selection better in front of the deli case than the bread aisle. I usually get whole pita bread there.
manchvegas
1
midwesterner
I don't get sliced meats or cheeses from the deli area -- prices on packaged meats/cheeses are much better in the groceries section and I like having the known expiration date and think there's less liklihood of cross-contamination from other foods or repeated human contact.
I do get prepared (non-lettuce) salads, however. They're so much more imaginative than I'd make on my own, wide variety of ingredients and are made fresh daily.
Today the deli area offered samples of a cajun crab appetizer/spread and I bought a small container of that.
Once every couple of months I'll get a whole cooked chicken, as I did today. Convenient to have for the starting point of several favorite meals -- I was just getting ready to post an OP here to ask for others' deli-chicken uses.
3
manchvegas
Well, I've been shopping for groceries for almost 25 years now and I've never had a problem w/ deli meats or cheeses. I had a friend who worked part time at Shaw's supermarket at the deli counter and said they were freakishly strict about food safety. You had to not only put on gloves but use a completey different set of gloves depending on what items you were working on. I'm sure they're safer than what we practice ourselves in our own kitchens.
I didn't know that Cocodrillo, no delis in Japan?
4
anonimo
The last time i shopped in the supermarket deli, I just bought sliced (bland) ham and queso de puerco (head cheese).
Today we bought a whole cooked chicken, roasted over charcoal, from a local rooadside stand. It seemed bonier than usual, yet it was tasty. We just eat it. There's rarely that much for leftovers.
5
cocodrilo
There's the Subway sandwich chain in some of hte larger, metropolitian areas, but it's not the same thing as a proper deli. You'd have a hearty laugh if you saw the Japanese idea of a sandwich!
6
monique_
I've never had problems with deli meats or cheeses either. I wonder why certain people spend so much time and energy worrying about those kinds of things. I have a friend who is obsessed with 'best before' dates. Get a life!!
Anyway, I love the deli section. I always get a gianormous pickle or two when I am picking up shaved garlic roast beef or sliced turkey breast. I bought a whole roasted chicken today. I tend to just use the leftover meat for sandwiches or else I make chicken lime soup with it.
7
manchvegas
Well, any leftover chicken meat could be made into a pie. That's what my Mom does at Thanksgiving w/ the leftover turkey. I've always raved about her homemade turkey pie and was dismayed to find out it's just turkey meat, a packet of McCormicks gravy and a box of Jiffy pie crust! There ya go, what could be simpler.
Yeah, I was in Japan years ago and found that you get "just enough" food at most places. It's not a bad thing, but you get used to having enough for a second meal. I don't think they know what doggy bags are in Japan.
8
manchvegas
Yeah, you just reminded me Monique.....You can take the whole chicken carcass and boil it and strain it and make soup, that's the best use I think.
BTW, you can ask for a "taste test" of any deli meat or cheese. They'll never turn you down, on a slow day you can drive them crazy with a taste of 1/2 dozen items....it's a free lunch.
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