Why Our Family Goes to the Greengrocer and Fishmonger

Our family goes to the greengrocer and the fishmonger almost every week.
Of course, we also go to the supermarket, but we basically only buy vegetables and fruits at the greengrocer, and fish only at the fishmonger.

My husband and I often say to each other, "Our quality of life has really improved since we started going to the greengrocer and fishmonger."

Although it has become a matter of course for our family now, going to many different places to shop is a burden.
Moreover, they are about a 20-minute walk away, so they are a bit far.

But I found myself wondering, now that it's been a while, what is the reason we keep going? Since I have the chance, I thought I would organize my thoughts.

Reasons we started going to the greengrocer and fishmonger

I wanted to buy fresh food for baby food

When I started making baby food, I had a desire to feed my child fresh, nutrient-dense food.

Writing it like this might make me sound like one of those people who are overly conscious about these things, but for me, I felt a strong pressure knowing that I held the reins of my child's health, and I felt like I had to do it properly.

I had always been getting our groceries at the supermarket, but
I was convinced (perhaps presumptuously) that shops like greengrocers and fishmongers live and die by their freshness, so I assumed they would have more fresh items.

When I actually visited the shops, both had many customers, the product turnover seemed high, and the prices weren't too high, so I found that they matched my image.
Since baby food started with rice, vegetables, and fruits, I first started going to the greengrocer.

My husband is very particular about fish

My husband says he can only eat fresh fish.
According to him, he often ate fresh fish growing up, and that "fresh fish" often meant fish that had just been caught. (I can't imagine what kind of environment that was, but I'm so jealous.)

So, he is strict about the taste.
Perhaps because he ate supermarket fish in the past and it wasn't delicious, he declared that he wouldn't eat supermarket fish.
Because of that, although we have been married for about 10 years, I never served fish dishes at our table until our child was born.

However, a few months after giving birth, when I thought about our child, I was worried about whether it was okay to just go along with my husband's food preferences, and I learned that there was a fishmonger in the next town famous for being delicious.
My husband seemed to feel the same way, so we immediately bought fish at the fishmonger and ate it at home.
As a result, it was incredibly delicious, so we started going there.

Reasons we keep going

It really is fresh and delicious

It's because it's delicious, after all.

I feel this especially at the fishmonger.
The owner always tells me what's recommended for the day, so I usually buy what he recommends, and it's incredibly delicious.
There is no fishy smell at all, and you can clearly taste the true flavor of the fish.
When cooking, it's delicious even with light seasoning.

By the way, the thing that surprised me the most in the past was the sweet shrimp.
Until now, my understanding of sweet shrimp was that they were just slightly sweet, but the fishmonger's sweet shrimp were properly sweet, had a rich flavor, and were sticky, which was on another level.
And the meat was big, too...!
My husband shares this opinion, and when sweet shrimp are included in a sashimi platter, we fight over them (lol).

As for the greengrocer, while there seem to be strengths and weaknesses, there are many vegetables that are fresh, last a long time, and are delicious.
The items where I really notice the difference in taste are probably tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
Tomatoes often have a rich flavor, carrots have less bitterness, and sweet potatoes have a strong sweetness.
I think it varies from person to person, but that's how it is for me.

I also have the impression that there are many fresh fruits (ones that look beautiful and juicy).
This is a bit of a tangent, but they often lower the price of items that look a little bad, or sometimes give them away for free, so I'm grateful for that as well.

Also, our family buys eggs at the greengrocer.
They are expensive, but they are rich and delicious, and I can't go back to the ones I used to buy.
Other customers have said the same thing.

They teach me recommended cooking methods

No matter how delicious the ingredients are, if your recipes become monotonous, I think there are times when you hesitate to pick them up as ingredients.
I'm not good at cooking, so I run into this problem quite often.

But when I ask, "How can I cook this?" or "Do you have any recommended recipes?" when I'm buying, they teach me various things.
Sometimes they introduce recommendations from other customers, and recently they introduced me to this person's recipe.
The ingredients were easy to gather, and the cooking was simple and delicious!
It's probably a recipe I wouldn't have found on my own.

The conversations are fun

Once you start going regularly, you naturally end up having conversations, and I find it genuinely enjoyable.
Whether it's asking for today's recommendations or just making small talk.
Since my family has been going there since my child was a newborn, they'll say things like, 'Your child has grown so much!' and I'm happy to have a place like that outside of work or home.

They even remember the things I like, so when they say, 'You liked this, right? We got some good ones in today!', it makes me feel happy.

I find myself enjoying the conversations, not just the shopping.
When I think about it, I'm the type who won't keep going to a shop if the atmosphere or the people don't feel right, even if the food is delicious, so this might actually be the number one reason.

I never went to greengrocers or fishmongers at all from the time I moved to this area until my child was born, but I feel like I should have started going sooner.
They say 'leave it to the experts,' and it's exactly true.
And since I plan to live in this area for a long time to come, I want to get to know all the various shops that are loved by the community.