"Smoking: Half a century of apathy." written by Tinypliny on estrip.org

04/06/09 08:25 - 40ºF - ID#48307

Smoking: Half a century of apathy.

We have known since the 1950s that smoking is injurious to health - in every way possible. There is only one disease that possibly benefits from the effect of smoking. And that is only after you actually get the disease. Every year smoking directly or indirectly costs us several BILLIONS in health care costs across the planet. We know so very well that there is a small group of individuals parasitically thriving and feeding on the addictions of smokers.

We have innumerable programs to help people quit - that add to the entire cost of smoking. At any given time millions of dollars are spent on smoking research. And YET, we are unwilling to take any affirmative and bold actions to shut it down forever. When will we find the wisdom and guts to shut down the tobacco industry?? We are the only species on the planet with advanced intelligence and yet, our selfish little brains are unable to speak up and say a firm NO to the industry. Really, what does it take to realize just how much damage the tobacco industry is causing our health?? How much more proof do we need?

I am SO SICK of people telling me that smokers pay a higher tax and contribute to the economy. Yeah right. How does all that tax paying compare to the billions they are sponging and siphoning from health care? You know what? I have no problem with people chugging away to their own ruin. But I have a BIG problem with them dragging other people down with them. I also have a HUGE problem with how we can't take action and cut down the root of all this menace - the tobacco industry and banish it forever.

It feels like such a waste to be reading about smoking research when it doesn't even cause a ripple in new addiction rates, not to mention all the existing I-am-going-to-quit smokers who keep relapsing every few months.

I just want to make it clear that this is not a tirade against everyone who smokes. This is a rant against our collective apathy to shut this institution down even after more than half a century of definite and damning knowledge about its ill-effects. We are so pathetic and self-centred when it comes to opposing evil in power that it sometimes seriously shakes my faith for a better health care future.

metalpeter writes at 08:30:54 04/07/09 - Comment #47413: One thing I think I should ad that I didn't think about before is the ad side of this. I'm not old enough to have seen ads on TV. But in lots of corner stores there are lots of really nice ads that some where in the mind tell you it is ok to smoke or make it look good at least. Think about all the camel ads and how they are low so kinds can see them, or that hot sexy black girl standing there smoking. It doesn't tell kids to go out and smoke but it makes them know brands. When the name fits the picture it makes it real easy to buy them. There is a big money making business to this. A good example of that is Marlboro gear. Someone if they don't make it at least have to ad there name to it.

tinypliny writes at 04:46:08 04/07/09 - Comment #47407: @(e:metalpeter): Chewing tobacco is just as horrid if not worse. Oral cancers have a shorter latency than lung cancer; they take less time to develop following tobacco exposure. It is important to remember that alcohol is an important additional risk factor for oral cancers. People who drink and smoke are at a higher risk than the general population.

In terms of lethality, lung cancers are associated with a higher mortality. However, later stages of both kind of cancers are deadly.
More often than not, oral cancers are detected when they have spread beyond the mouth cavity into regional lymph nodes. That makes them difficult to treat.

@Libertad: I know. Those are really vexing points. I totally agree with you that restrictions need to be placed on tobacco companies' grand evil ways. However, these restrictions cannot be viewed as support for the end-product that comes out after these restrictions have been met.

I agree with massive taxation as a means of making smokers feel the pinch of this destructive habit - except for one very small reason of justice. I have been reading (e:Jason)'s links about tobacco taxes and I am not sure that I totally disagree with him that taxes are unfair. They are unfair because (and only because) the government seems to snap all restrictions into place at the consumer level. There is next to NO regulation at the industry level - just because they are more influential and arm-twisty than your regular customer on the street?

I think taxation should extend both ways, and for the industry, taxation should be at the highest levels.

Addiction is a totally crazy facet of any drug that messes with signalling in the nervous system. It is almost a biological kind of demand-supply economics within the body and is exploited by the tobacco companies. I cannot however see addicts as completely blameless. I don't think ANYONE - be it an adult or a kid is unaware that smoking is bad for health. Thus, by willingly smoking, they are partially responsible for taking the risk of addiction.

Recent research shows that not everyone is genetically susceptible to being addicted to substances. Thus, we can't really say that once people start smoking, they cannot quit entirely because of the level of addictive substances in the cigarette. A lot depends on how your body and your genetics handle the addicting substance. For some people, even a small amount of nicotine (or other substances in cigarettes) can be really addictive and yet for others they might not make any difference - and these people can often stop smoking whenever they wish.

I am sure that the tobacco companies will hold these genetic differences as arguments for bypassing any kind of restrictive laws in place to limit use of addictive substances in their cigarettes.

I agree with all the points that you and (e:metalpeter) make about prohibition and bans opening backdoors to drug trade but a part of me asks if heroin and other hard drugs are really accessible by school kids in corner stores. Because that's when smoking starts and that's when the habit takes root. I argue that the free availability of cigarettes everywhere is partially the reason for children easily getting them when they shouldn't. Banning them would be a step toward delaying the availability of tobacco and tobacco based products to a later age - when hopefully they won't be subject to that much peer pressure as they are when they are in school.

If, as responsible adults, they feel the need to go to drug-dealers for their tobacco, then it is no different from going to the dealers for other drugs. The point I am trying to make is that a universal ban would reduce new and younger addicts from entering the vicious cycle. The scenarios that you describe are valid for older addicts and I am vexed that there is no real solution to that problem even after 50 years of research. :/

jason writes at 08:56:14 04/07/09 - Comment #47382: Richard Daines. You can read about it here if you wish.

:::link:::

libertad writes at 10:51:11 04/06/09 - Comment #47375: @(e:metalpeter), chewing tobacco and snuff are in my opinion the worst as far as horrible cancers that start early. Not sure if the medical peeps would back me on that but it is my feeling. When I talk to people who are on these products (chew and snuff) I practically beg them to stop. I never want to see anyone develop the type of cancers that develop from the use of those products.

@(e:tinypliny), Good points on the FDA but I still think that some type of government regulatory agency should monitor what they are doing with cigarettes. It is not fair to alter them to make them harder to quit. If prohibition isn't something that is likely because of numerous reasons, wouldn't the next best thing be forcing the companies to clean up their cigarettes? It would have to be heavily advertised that these were still dangerous cigarettes but if the addictiveness level were controlled people would have higher quit rates and would not get addicted as quickly. Studies are showing that it only takes a few cigarettes for youth to get addicted.

The thing about smoking is that very intelligent people become addicted. Everybody that I have ever interviewed that wants to quit ever thought that they would become addicted, they had no idea. Cigarettes do seem harmless for those who don't have experience with them. This is what needs to be changed. I am positive that crystal meth ads have changed peoples views regarding that devastating drug. Quit smoking ads will continue to motivate people to quit as they are in NYS.

Sometime I would like to talk pharmacology with you in regards to smoking cessation. I would love your thoughts.

@(e:paul), thank you for recovering my comment!

@anyone trying to quit, It is DEFINITELY worth your efforts and you do need help. 1-866-NYQuits

metalpeter writes at 07:36:09 04/06/09 - Comment #47372: I think that smoking should be legal. I think that as long as you don't do it around anyone else. Maybe they could even have a place like how they used to have Opium lounges (maybe they still do) where only smokers could work there and people could smoke and relax. Making Cigarettes illegal would just cause more problems and I'm sure some underground system would arise and the drug war would become worse then it already is.

I think though that we need to admit that their is a difference between Cigarettes and the Tobacco industry. Yes cigarettes are big business. Yes burning anything and breathing it in, is bad for you in most cases. What tobacco does on its own I'm not sure. But what I do know is what does the damage to people is all the other stuff that they ad to Cigarettes to give them taste and make them more addicting but not have so much nicotine that you get sick right away. But to be honest Nicotine is the only reason why it is hard to quit smoking. Unlike a lot of other drugs it is a Habit. You have great sex you smoke. You have a drink you smoke. You know there are some people that the only time they would smoke is when they where in a bar drinking. You are working and you take a smoke break. Some people quit and don't know what to do with there hands and fingers with out a cigarette.

What is your view on Chewing Tobacco or Snuf or is that snus. They used to have tiny pieces of glass that you would never notice or feel that would cut your tuonge and mouth so that you would taste it more, plus that stuff is nasty and causes other problems to.

tinypliny writes at 06:07:40 04/06/09 - Comment #47370: (e:Jason): Whom are you talking about? What did noodlehead (Who is this?) say about tobacco taxes? Reference please? :)

tinypliny writes at 03:21:00 04/06/09 - Comment #47368: @Libertad: I read your comment in the comment graveyard (I have written to Paul to restore it). I agree with most of your points. I was at a seminar earlier today. A Harvard based investigator came to Roswell to talk about how they had researched the constituents of Marlboro Ultrasmooth (PDF here: :::link::: ). They used reverse engineering methods to find out what kind of flavours were incorporated into the cigs to make them more appealing to consumers. The researcher said that the flavour chemistry scientists that the tobacco industry employed were the most advanced in the field.

What I want to know is why can't the government mandate that the tobacco industry list all the ingredients of cigarettes up front just like other consumable manufacturers? Why make the scientists go to all these crazy lengths to determine what's in the cigarettes?? It seems like a colossal waste of effort and money.

The point about FDA regulation of the tobacco industry also came up at the discussion session. Our VP had a very valid point when he said that it was a double-edged sword. If the FDA starts regulating the tobacco industry, all the crafty PR agents at the tobacco industry can well spin the FDA approval of any of their products to imply that they are somehow "safer" than the products in the non-FDA regulated era. FDA regulation certainly does not mean FDA approval and support - how many people are aware of this distinction? For many FDA regulation simple denotes a stamp of approval from the scientists who are concerned about product safety. Considered in the context of tobacco, this would be disastrous! Think of the implications in lawsuits. People would be saying "Oh, the FDA approved this so why did I get COPD?? It was supposed to be safe!" Seriously, the FDA approval might be more of a detriment to the anti-tobacco lobby than anything, given the tobacco industry's penchant for distorting truth.

jason writes at 02:19:58 04/06/09 - Comment #47366: I prefer to leave the dollar amount approximations to the experts in that area, and the scientific research to the experts in that area. I mean, you get the top health noodlehead from NYS coming out and talking about taxes? Tell me what the hell he knows about taxes (I'll give you a hint - jack and shit - he doesn't know anything about money). He's a useful idiot for the politicians when they want to pass cynical, regressive, senseless taxes to fund child health care.

libertad writes at 12:58:59 04/06/09 - Comment #47361: Thanks for this post Tiny. I enjoyed reading it. What would concern me most about banning cigarette manufacturing would be that we would see an increase in organized crime as we saw with the prohibition of alcohol. Many prohibitionists later came to oppose prohibition because it led to so much violence in society. Most smokers are not involved in a criminal element but if they begin to obtain their smokes from illegal means than they would also be exposed to other types of drugs and the money they spend can be used for other illegal activities including weapons trade or even human trafficking.

I am certainly for FDA control of the tobacco industry. These companies have been making cigarettes more and more addictive as time goes by. They have scientists working for them to change the chemistry of the cigarette so that the nicotine will hit the brain faster increasing their addictiveness. We know a lot about nictotine withdrawl but I doubt that much is known regarding withdrawl from all the other 4000 chemicals in a cigarette.

The tax I believe is fair and effective. Although people are relapsing frequently they do find that many people have several relapses before they can quit for good. I do not feel pitty on smokers complaining of the additional taxes as they are passing the cost of their smoking related illnesses on to everyone else in one way or another. People are successful in quitting and although they may relapse will probably quit again.

I hate these tobacco companies just as much as you do. I'm probably going to die myself because of smoking even though I have quit. I also talk to so many people everyday whose lives are being ruined by smoking. Even now I am not able to say with certainty that I won't relapse. If I have one moment of weakness I can start up as if I never stopped. I have talked to so many people who have quit for years or decades start up again because of this one moment of weakness.

I think with the FDA control the addictiveness levels of the cigarettes can be controled. Advertising should be banned and we should move to having visual warnings on the packages as they do in Canada and in some European countries. Of course more money into smoking cessation would be helpful. People get far more support getting off of illegal drugs than they do with cigarettes even though by far nicotine is the most addictive.

Of course, if we do have nationalized health care the government will have a much stronger need to get people to quit as whatever revenue they gain from cigarette taxes will be eaten away in smoking related illnesses, which as you said are under reported.

tinypliny writes at 10:27:20 04/06/09 - Comment #47358: Oh but I have issues against how that cost benefit ratio is calculated. I don't think they count the costs due to the *ALL* the health problems that are attributable even a little to smoking. Neither do they count the money poured into anti-smoking and smoking related research. I think they just limit themselves to lung cancer (which is, admittedly, a rare disease). I don't think they even completely count Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) that 100% of the smokers will get - because more often than not, it gets written off as a disease of old age.

So the health costs are grossly underestimated. Often these analyses are not even performed by the relevant scientists. They are done by the statistical and financial units of the government. I would be surprised if these bureaucratic agents kept up with current smoking health research! Quite unfortunately, Statistics is a notoriously smudge-able field if you know what outcome you really want. If you have a slightly deranged moral compass (read: have a conflict of interest with the tobacco industry) I don't see any reason why you would take any effort to accurately represent the real hit that health care takes due to smoking.

rory writes at 08:55:39 04/06/09 - Comment #47353: Tiny - you mentioned the exact reason why governments don't just ban this outright - tax. As long as it can be seen that the tax revenue generated is greater than the amount spent on treating people it makes economic sense to continue to sell it.

In the UK (I don't know about the US) 65% of the cost of a packet of ciggies is tax. The government pays lip service to getting people to quit, but I would bet that they simply can't afford too.

Permalink: Smoking_Half_a_century_of_apathy_.html
Words: 400
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: grocery

04/04/09 10:00 - 41ºF - ID#48288

Pricerite is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

I realized at 7:45 PM that I had no milk and no green bell peppers. I power-walked to Pricerite around 8:00 PM and checked out at 8:20 PM. I came home with my week's groceries at 8:35 PM. It took me LESS THAN AN HOUR to shop for this week's groceries.

Do you know how long it has been that it has taken this short a time for me to grocery shop? FOUR YEARS!! I was so happy that I was cackling with delight as I walked home. I think the delight kind of spilled over to weirdness because two ladies out walking crossed the road to the opposite pavement when they saw me cackling into thin air. I also managed to elicit a freaked look and quickened steps from a really tall muscly bloke who walked past.

OH MY GOD! I can't believe this shop is HERE! WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE and open till 9:00 PM and SUCH REASONABLE PRICES!

For a total of $16.47 I bought

Aladdin Whole Wheat Pita - 0.89 Cents!

Five medium sized tomatoes - 1.52lb @ 0.99/lb = $2.13

Five Granny Smith apples - 1.96lb @ 0.99/lb = $1.94

Upstate Farm Fat-free Milk - 1 Gallon = $1.99

Green Beans - 1.52lb @ 0.99/lb = $1.50

Green Bell Peppers - 1.25lb @ 0.99/lb = $1.24

Bananas - $2.13lb @ 0.49/lb = $1.04

Strawberries - 2lbs @ 1.99/lb = $3.98

Green Grapes - 1.80lb @ 0.98/lb = $1.76

I have so sorely missed the convenience of a local affordable grocery. I love it that everything is so organized that finding stuff is a breeze. The produce is really fresh! If you haven't started shopping at this store, you are totally missing what grocery shopping should be like - stress-free, fresh, fast, easy, cheap and above all - walkable!! Pricerite is very <3 HIGHLY <3 recommended!!!! Go and grocery-shop!

PS: The OCD inducing rude shoppers are gone and everyone is super extra courteous and sweet. I saw a customer today thoughtfully and very carefully re-stacking all the 10 packs of cheese that she decided not to buy. I crossed over 3 aisles to give her a HUGE smile (that, on after thought, could have been perceived as slightly creepy) and wished her an awesome weekend.

Permalink: Pricerite_is_TOO_GOOD_TO_BE_TRUE_.html
Words: 364
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: e:strip

04/04/09 12:02 - 35ºF - ID#48278

Jim, have a SUPER-AWESOME year ahead!!

I am completely copying (e:fellyconnelly)'s *really cool** greetings ((e:fellyconnelly,48273)) but here's to (e:Jim)! Wish you a wonderful year ahead, Jim!!

With compliments from (e:James)!

*And as you might recall, imitation is the best form of flattery.

Permalink: Jim_have_a_SUPER_AWESOME_year_ahead_.html
Words: 43
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: music

04/03/09 08:04 - 55ºF - ID#48270

She's a piano rainbow

(e:Zobar) posted the cool Sony ad and that reminded me of the pure piano verson. I love this song. :)

I realized the notes are very close to Paint it Black - another of my favourite songs.

I can't believe the Stones have been off my playlist for so long. MUST. RECTIFY. THIS.

But before that this version of Les Innocents - Un Homme Extraordinaire always is so awesome to hear!

Permalink: She_s_a_piano_rainbow.html
Words: 94
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: e:strip

04/01/09 05:01 - 51ºF - ID#48253

Completed two years at e:strip? Really?

I will be starting my THIRD year today at (e:strip). That is SO crazy. I didn't expect it all to go so fast! In the two years that whizzed by I have made SO many random friends around Buffalo thanks to (e:strip).

I lived in Rochester for the same span of time. I got to know everyone in my department, a bunch of people around the university and probably around 75% people on my street - most of whom were on wait-lists for some nursing home or the other and were somehow always discussing wood for funeral caskets. Oh, and there was this huge dog named "Useless" (I kid you not!). I was convinced that his sole motive for surviving was to bark at me as loudly as he could, day or night, summer or winter and drive me insane or deaf or both. Before coming here, I thought I would spend my entire graduate life going deaf and off the rocker, cheering waitlist promotions, and of course, debating the finer points of oak versus cedar six feet under.

I can't tell you how surprised I still am that you are all not bargaining casket prices with funeral homes or throwing cake celebrations for the hood, not on your birthday, but on random days throughout the year because your number on the waitlist just went up from 56 to 52 as three blokes in between died the week before. Instead, you are discussing relationships (whoa!), weddings, kids, jobs, sims, food, hiking, rollerblade derbies, zoos and totally wild whatnots! That is a massive and welcome change. I am astonished that you are not decrepit Mr. Jones and that your foot is really quite far away from dangling over a freshly dug-out crypt at Mt. Hope. No one starts a conversation with "Back in the war" or talks about spa benefits at nursing homes.

Maybe I was not in the right part of Rochester or maybe the population there is really quite significantly decrepit. Whatever be the case, I doubt I would have made such a unique bunch of friends (in any new city) in such a short time - almost totally unrelated to school or even the immediate hood! (E:strip) is a complete surprise to me even after 731 days! Yinz ROCK! :)

Permalink: Completed_two_years_at_e_strip_Really_.html
Words: 380
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: eating out

03/29/09 01:43 - 42ºF - ID#48229

Isn't it time you Merge-d?!?

(e:Heidi) and I went to Merge on Wednesday night and LOVED the whole experience. I recommend this restaurant most enthusiastically.

The food is wonderful and so is the entertainment. Heidi and I must have laughed non-stop for around 2.5 hours after we finished eating. A really funny improv show troupe performed at the restaurant.

Merge has a very friendly art-and-show friendly atmosphere.

Some very interesting sculpture and art on walls keep you busy while you wait for your order.

And the wait is not too long either. We wanted to sample a good range of their food (I intentionally had a light lunch earlier that day) and ordered quite a variety.

The polenta dish came first. I have never had polenta before and this was my introduction. I thought it was a bit bland on the inside. But then, I am not really a bland food person. I get through red onions and chillies by the tonload every week. (e:Heidi) and I agreed that the blandness of the polenta was more than made up for by the tomato sauce and onions accompanying the dish. We were so hungry that we finished most of the polenta before we realized that we had not taken any photos of it! So this was a photo of the last piece. :)

If I were making this polenta, I would probably season it with hmmm... jalapenos or dried red chillies before making the exact dish.

Our waitress was really sweet and never once stopped smiling. She made our dining experience extremely pleasant! She told us that her mom, Katie used to make these for lunch they were little. The panini is called the Katie. It is made with some really nice strong cheese, jicama slices and granny smith apple slices! It was served piping hot and was the most perfect comfort food I have ever eaten.

(e:Heidi) made an excellent choice in the Kale salad that came with the Katie. The Kale was (I think) very lightly sauteed (olive oil?) to a crispy crunchy texture and delicately flavoured with pine nuts and dried cranberries.

We also got the vegetarian lasagna with broccoli and greens.

The lasagna had a sharp sourish cheese in it. I thought the taste was pretty unique and liked it. The tomato sauce complemented the taste.

I have to say that this was the BEST broccoli and greens I have ever had. The broccoli was steamed to crunchy perfection and flavoured with a delicate an almost-soy sauce.

We found out from our delightful waitress (I wish I had asked her name!) that it was flavoured with this cool sauce available at wegmans. She even brought out the bottle and showed it to us. It was such a pleasant change from restaurants that won't tell you anything and leave you guessing. I think I would go back to Merge just because they have such a nice staff! Thank you, Katie's daughter, you made our evening perfect! (Hahaha, that reminds me of Cold Comfort Farm and whole Robert Poste's Child bit.

)

I ordered the rice and beans as a side. It was a bit on the bland side but tasty. I would season this with cumin and red chillie powder.

We were not quite full and were ready for dessert. (e:Heidi) and I both ordered chocolate. It was served in a generous sized comfort cup.

I asked for a shot of espresso in mine and stirred it in. It was some wonderful lightly sweet chocolate. When I reached the end, I realized that they had used real chocolate bits to make it - not chocolate powder.

We topped our meal with two really special desserts. A delicious cheesecake with lemony hints and (I think) raspberry sauce?

And an apple pie served warm with rich cream on the side.

I loved this pie, the apples were tart and the pie crust was crumbly and had a hint of cinnamon.

We weren't very sure whether these guys were a rock band or improv artists because I thought I saw an electric guitar earlier.

But it turned out that they were members of the Francis Bacon Improv' troupe.

We were relishing our dessert when this cheerful little stage came to life with really colourful lighting effects. They went through the entire rainbow before they decided on this one...

The improv skits were SO utterly hilarious that we stayed till the very end. I think you need to catch the Francis Bacon improv troupe if you get a chance. They has us in splits the entire time!

Overall, I loved the restaurant. I don't think I have ever reviewed a restaurant in this much detail before. I really want to thank (e:Heidi) for coming out with me and having a rocking time (even though she had an important "hazing" oral argument examination the next day (e:tinypliny,48207)). It was an extremely fun 4 hours. :) We also ran into (e:enknot) at the very end. I wish he had been there before!

It's time you all Merge'd. You won't repent it! :)

PS: We took all the pics on (e:Heidi)'s phone! I shamelessly stole them from (e:Heidi)'s picasa and tweaked them with explicit permission. Thanks (e:Heidi)!

PPS: Our bill came to ~$43.03 (+tip). It was really worth it!! (e:Heidi), I owe you $2.00. I miscalculated the tip.

PPPS: (e:Heidi), its been SO SO SO VERY LONG since I have had a 100% unalloyed fun with anyone. I attribute this all to YOU. I am SO looking forward to our next outing already!!

Permalink: Isn_t_it_time_you_Merge_d_.html
Words: 1027
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: grocery

03/28/09 09:54 - 52ºF - ID#48222

Buffalo Grocery Review: PriceRite

Let me just start off by saying that I am thrilled to bits that I actually have a full-scale grocery store with awesome produce within WALKING distance from my flat! It means a lot to me.

I don't need to fish out that small poor tomato that slipped away and got attacked by fungus in the third shelf of the fridge. I don't need to go for DAYS without cilantro just because no one sells it within walking distance. I don't have to buy treacherous non-granny smiths because I ran out of every fruit in the course of an insanely busy work-week. I don't have to wait for 1/2 hour for erratic buses, look longingly at cars passing by or push crazy heavy carts across 3 miles (because I couldn't bear waiting) or find out that the milk had not survived the 3 mile hike and make emergency paneer instead. I just don't have to stock up anymore.

I can WALK to PriceRite instead. :)

My fridge can finally grow up and be what its meant to be - not a massive OMG-I-am-stockpiling-for-the-drought-of-the-century but a healthy conduit of fresh produce and cooking bliss.

I was chatting with a family on the checkout queue and they were telling me that the crowds would die down as soon as the sales end. I really hope this doesn't happen. I know the prices of meat etc. were ridiculously cheap. The produce prices were great as well. However, on the whole they were more expensive than the farmer's market (Rochester). This tells me that they are hopefully not selling it all without profit in the first week. I think that's a good sign. The enormous mark-up on the rest of the brand groceries around town are really quite atrocious. I am not kidding when I say that Buffalo's (city) cost of living is far higher than Rochester. So price-wise, I think pricerite has come at a right time.

Given the proximity of the place, I didn't feel like I had to fill up my cart to the limit. I didn't even take my cart. I only bought stuff that I really needed (with the exception of the granny-smiths of course). My grand total grocery bill stood at $12.85. I got a decent armload of produce plus some odds and ends.

Broccoli Rabe (Or Rappini): 1.27lb @ 1.29/lb - $1.64

I have never seen this less than $2.00+/lb anywhere. I like it even better than mustard greens because its got this unique punchy flavour that beats out so many other greens. It's a piece of light and pungent heaven with garlic and basmati rice.

Kumquats 1 Pint - $1.99

FINALLY. I finally bought this delightful little fruit today. Thank you pricerite! I am in love with the taste. It's super strong citrusy-lemony-orangy all combined into a concentrated little fruit with an edible rind! I think I might be a bit addicted because I finished half a box for lunch today.

2 Lemons: $0.50

The lemons were HUGE and so fresh.

2 granny Smiths 0.77lb @ 0.99/lb - $0.76

I bought this out of sheer force of habit. Thankfully, I stopped myself before I could pick up a dozen. I already have a dozen at home! Compared to the Wegmans and Tops price for bulk granny smiths - its costlier. It's cheaper than Guercio's granny smiths. However, Guercio's granny smiths are bigger and more intensely tasty somehow.

3 HUGE navel oranges - $1.00

This was a great deal. Get it before it goes away.

Bananas - 2.38lb @ 0.49/lb - $1.17

Standard price - same as Wegmans, Tops and Guercios.

1 lb Strawberries - $1.99

Okay, these strawberries are ACTUALLY sweet and fungus free for a change.

Red Grapes - 2.22 lb @ 0.98/lb - $2.18

Also a great deal. Green grapes were similarly priced.

Ivory Dishwashing Liquid (Proctor and Gamble) - $0.99

My dear building plumber inverted 3/4th of my dishwashing fluid into my kitchen sink in the hopes of stopping the stench and cutting the grease. I found myself in a severe dishwashing fluid bind today morning and had to get a new one. Apparently, this one's supposed to be gentle on the hands and had the least amount of chemicals as compared to the rest of the stacked ones. Yes, I am a sucker and totally believe the lies while I am shopping. Hahaha.

Birthday Card for my friend - $ 0.50

I could have followed (e:mike)'s example and handmade my card - but illumination only struck when I was halfway home. That should say something about how dazed I was to find myself *walking* home with groceries in less than ten minutes.

To get on with the review, I think Pricerite effectively rules the produce planet. I don't think there is need for me to go elsewhere for daily produce. It has dairy - a nice bonus. Milk was priced at $1.99/Gallon. If Guercio's was in that very same plaza, I would still go to Guercio's but unfortunately its not in the same plaza and requires 10X more walking and/or taking a bus. I don't think anyone comes close to Guercio's for their crazy and weirdly awesome speciality foods and cheeses but to be honest it is quite a way off and that factor alone might make my Guercio visits less frequent.

As for Wegmans and Tops, they are off my list for now. Someone at the shop was remarking that Pricerite didn't have tofu and for that, they would go to Wegmans. I realized that I am not really that desperate for a chunk of soy. That kind of sealed it for me. And who knows - maybe that huge shop has tofu somewhere...!!?

Pricerite is really quite enormous. It took me 2.5 hours to complete a cursory stroll-stare. I don't think I ever saw more enthusiastic shoppers at a lowly grocery store before! People were falling over each other to get a grotesquely packaged turkey deal. Many carried their enthusiasm a bit too far into the realm of obnoxiousness.

Some abandoned perishable refrigerated/frozen items on random shelves on their way to checkout! I thought this kind of behaviour was so irresponsible. Maybe its my infectious disease class spirits talking but... hello? aren't you concerned that these abandoned perishables will end up in the fridge at the end of the day and YOU (yes, you who carelessly ditched them wherever) will pick it up tomorrow? This thought cycle prevented me from getting anything from the fridge. I even spent some time going around the store and replacing perishable stuff in the fridge before I realized that I couldn't beat the ill-behaved protoplasm. Just after I checked out, a woman oblivious to any kind of common sense or courtesy left a milk gallon bottle on top of the stack of green beans!! The lesson of course, is that if you happen to have a mild OCD (as I apparently have) of replacing things where they belong, this week might not be the best time to go to the store.

In summary, I think pricerite is a really nice and very reasonably priced addition to our neighbourhood. I foresee myself getting to know the employees there really well over the next few months. The variety of produce and other groceries they carry is very impressive. However, I am somewhat distressed at the appalling behaviour of some of the shoppers there. In some ways it reminds me of the black Friday mentality. It doesn't make any sense to me. Is it really necessary to run amok and forget good manners when one is at a store that is selling slightly discounted merchandise?

metalpeter writes at 01:16:22 03/29/09 - Comment #47126: (e:Imk2) there is an Aldi on Elmwood but not my part of Elmwood. It is next to Home Depot across from the Regal Cinemas kinda, it is where the Cheap Movies used to be. I think I was there once.

tinypliny writes at 10:49:37 03/29/09 - Comment #47116: @(e:James): Hahaha yeah, its definitely ZOMG CHEAP MEAT. Just like Scrooge McDuck with dollar signs in his eyes, people had turkeys and ribs in their irises yesterday. The cashier who rang me out paused for a moment and double-checked to see is she had missed the meat in my purchases! Then she asked me if I was vegetarian. I guess it was that obvious yesterday!

tinypliny writes at 10:45:54 03/29/09 - Comment #47115: @(e:lilho): Hardly! Wait for my Merge review. ;-)

@Libertad: It's not mine - thank you google!

@imk2: Firstly, I miss you. :( You need to come to "the date" (Slawa and I are going to the south indian place). I was talking to Slawa about the Tonawanda market and I DEFINITELY need to get there this summer. It's so far away though. :/

james writes at 10:12:00 03/29/09 - Comment #47113: I can't foresee that behavior staying around. It seems like the entire city is ZOMG CHEAP MEAT and rushing there, filling up the parking lot seven days a week. It does have that Black Friday sort of feel. But once our hunger for meat dies down and our freezers are full with a lifetime's worth of Thanksgiving turkey's, the store will be much more OCD friendly.

imk2 writes at 12:39:57 03/29/09 - Comment #47111: i think ALDI would make a killing if they opened up on elmwood somewhere. i don't know why no one has thought of this great idea yet. (e:drew)? anyone on the forever elmwood committee talked about an ALDI opening up somewhere?

imk2 writes at 12:32:21 03/29/09 - Comment #47109: i too got great deals on groceries today. i went to the farmers market in north tonawanda and there got, 4/@1 lemons, 4/$1 navel organges, 1lb/!1.99 asparagus, 1/2lb each: munster, feta and farmers cheese for $10. 2 farm raised, pasture fed, antibiotic/hormone free strip steaks for $20, 1lbs/$1.75 tomatoes, baby bell peppers, green, red and yellow: 1 1/2lbs/$2, huge 12 inch cucumbers 2/50cents

the cheeses are an extra good deal here. usually cheese runs around $6 a pound, here it's about half the price. things that are in season and sold by real farmers turn out to be really good deals in the summer. i love this place.

libertad writes at 11:22:45 03/28/09 - Comment #47108: I love that banana holder!

People can be such trash sometimes. That is clearly a very selfish thing to do to leave your perishables on a shelf so they go bad. Some people just generally lack respect then there are others like you there to cancel out some of their bad effects. ;)

lilho writes at 10:56:24 03/28/09 - Comment #47107: you seem to be the healthiest eater ever. go you.

Permalink: Buffalo_Grocery_Review_PriceRite.html
Words: 1276
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 11/09/11 08:12

Category: e:strip

03/26/09 04:12 - 49ºF - ID#48207

Good Luck, Heidi!!

Permalink: Good_Luck_Heidi_.html
Words: 1
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: whine

03/24/09 10:08 - 37ºF - ID#48185

My Kitchen Sink = Revolting

Some bloke on the eighth floor poured grease down his kitchen sink. It came down and blocked mine. The resident plumber of Mayflower worked on it for 2 hours. To give you a fair idea about the actual sink circumstances and show off my sink-drawing skillz...

When I came home at around 5:30, the sink was filled to the brim with back-flow greasy gutter water!! It was pretty gross. After some frantic emergency bailing and plumbing, it is now filled with a sort of mini-bubble bath (made up of a generous dose of dishwashing fluid foam and water) for... creepy-crawlies. The plumber said that if he started fixing it now, the whole building might need to be up and bailing gutter water for the next 12 hours. So he going to fix it tomorrow. The soap is to cut the grease and stop any more back-flow.

Anyway, the after-picture is not good. I can't cook today. What a cruel little torture. I have already had 4 apples. :/

AND WHO THE HELL POURS GREASE DOWN HIS KITCHEN SINK??? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR RAVING MIND, 8th floor denizen??? AAAARRRrrrrgh. Yeah, I am TOTALLY not smiling and saying Hi to YOU any more.