Grocery Shopping
2013
One of my new friend's opinion about grocery shopping is that she ONLY buys from Country Grocer (or GVM the locals call it - more about that later.) She won't set foot inside Thrifty's because it's not "Salt Spring" enough. Thrifty's is based on Vancouver Island, after all. Practically a foreign power in these parts apparently.
So back to Country Grocery aka GVM - you will hear locals refer to Country as GVM quite often. Once upon a time that store was known as the Ganges Village Market, hence GVM. So saying GVM instead of Country Grocer makes you sound like a long-time local. Of course newbies like myself catch on pretty quick and now I say GVM with the best of them!
Often in small towns you will notice a propensity to refer to something long gone, as in "where the so-and-so used to be". That doesn't happen a lot here except for the aforementioned GVM-Country Grocer. At least I haven't noticed much of that.
I just returned from a trip to St John NB which is the centre of the "used to be" movement. We took a tour with some locals that started at an empty parking lot where we were told "this used to be the sugar refinery" and it went on like that all morning. Eventually even they started to see how funny it all was.
Salt Spring's version of the used to be is more likely found in what residences are called. I live in "used to be Elsy's place", while my neighbours live in "used to be Dogpatch", and the local park "used to be a hippie camp out in the 70s". This can also be true of professions as in "she used to work at the post office", or "he used to run the tow truck".
Part of moving to a new place is the opportunity to reinvent oneself. So, I am reinventing into someone who spends hours outside every day, plays music every day, meets new people every week, does art, cooks fabulous meals most days, keeps her puppy in perfect groomed order (ha!), sails, walks, sings, reads, and sleeps soundly every night in my little piece of heaven.
Since moving here I have started cello lessons, joined the local Tai Chi group, baked and sold pies with the "Pie Ladies" (Women's Institute) at the fall fair and the Apple Festival. I have been for manicures at Lenice's place, explored the island, perused the Saturday market, entertained guests from the city, been to Salt Spring Cheese on numerous occasions, watched the turkeys in Ruckle Park (actual turkeys, not people who behave badly), purchased many, many items from Mouat's, picked up and dropped off people all 3 ferry terminals and the Salt Spring Air dock. And I haven't had the pleasure yet of someone visiting by private yacht or helicopter but hope springs eternal.
People on Salt Spring Island are not shy about giving their opinion on anything, which is actually quite helpful - although sometimes a bit funny.
One of my new friend's opinion about grocery shopping is that she ONLY buys from Country Grocer (or GVM the locals call it - more about that later.) She won't set foot inside Thrifty's because it's not "Salt Spring" enough. Thrifty's is based on Vancouver Island, after all. Practically a foreign power in these parts apparently.
Country Grocer offers local SSI farm products like lamb and pork occasionally.
Since we didn't have a commercial abattoir on island, farmers still take their animals off island for butchering. Well, yes, now we have an abattoir but there is some controversy apparently since the cost is higher than what it is in on Vancouver Island. Go figure. Farming life is never easy, and certainly island living adds to the difficulty, at least as far as raising livestock for meat goes.
Since we didn't have a commercial abattoir on island, farmers still take their animals off island for butchering. Well, yes, now we have an abattoir but there is some controversy apparently since the cost is higher than what it is in on Vancouver Island. Go figure. Farming life is never easy, and certainly island living adds to the difficulty, at least as far as raising livestock for meat goes.
So back to Country Grocery aka GVM - you will hear locals refer to Country as GVM quite often. Once upon a time that store was known as the Ganges Village Market, hence GVM. So saying GVM instead of Country Grocer makes you sound like a long-time local. Of course newbies like myself catch on pretty quick and now I say GVM with the best of them!
Often in small towns you will notice a propensity to refer to something long gone, as in "where the so-and-so used to be". That doesn't happen a lot here except for the aforementioned GVM-Country Grocer. At least I haven't noticed much of that.
I just returned from a trip to St John NB which is the centre of the "used to be" movement. We took a tour with some locals that started at an empty parking lot where we were told "this used to be the sugar refinery" and it went on like that all morning. Eventually even they started to see how funny it all was.
Salt Spring's version of the used to be is more likely found in what residences are called. I live in "used to be Elsy's place", while my neighbours live in "used to be Dogpatch", and the local park "used to be a hippie camp out in the 70s". This can also be true of professions as in "she used to work at the post office", or "he used to run the tow truck".
Part of moving to a new place is the opportunity to reinvent oneself. So, I am reinventing into someone who spends hours outside every day, plays music every day, meets new people every week, does art, cooks fabulous meals most days, keeps her puppy in perfect groomed order (ha!), sails, walks, sings, reads, and sleeps soundly every night in my little piece of heaven.
Since moving here I have started cello lessons, joined the local Tai Chi group, baked and sold pies with the "Pie Ladies" (Women's Institute) at the fall fair and the Apple Festival. I have been for manicures at Lenice's place, explored the island, perused the Saturday market, entertained guests from the city, been to Salt Spring Cheese on numerous occasions, watched the turkeys in Ruckle Park (actual turkeys, not people who behave badly), purchased many, many items from Mouat's, picked up and dropped off people all 3 ferry terminals and the Salt Spring Air dock. And I haven't had the pleasure yet of someone visiting by private yacht or helicopter but hope springs eternal.
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Thanks for reading!