I must confess I have a slight obsession with grocery shopping. Writing up the list, weighing apples on the scale, attempting to pry open the produce bags, deciding what new flavor of yogurt to try – yes, I love it all.

When I was little, my parents would pack all six of us kids into the minivan, and we’d take a family vacation to my favorite place in the world, the grocery store. We would stroll around what used to be Cub Foods and hit up every fluorescent-lit aisle, passing by cereal boxes that promised spoons that changed colors when dipped in milk and cans of pasta shaped like cartoon characters. I loved everything about the trip, from the slightly sticky floors to the musically challenged cart.

"We would stroll around what used to be Cub Foods and hit up every fluorescent-lit aisle, passing by cereal boxes that promised spoons that changed colors when dipped in milk and cans of pasta shaped like cartoon characters. I loved everything about the trip, from the slightly sticky floors to the musically challenged cart."

A couple times a year, my family would make a special trip to the Hmong markets in Minnesota for bundles of mustard greens, bitter melons with wart-like bumps, prickly lychee, sweet longan, and three big bottles of fish sauce. Then we would crowd the hot deli case for freshly made kalapao (steamed buns with pork and egg filling) to eat on the ride home. Hands down, these were the best family vacations ever.

So when I was deemed old enough to work, guess where I sent my application? The grocery store, of course! Due to one too many of my siblings cashiering at the same store, I ended up in an apron, weighing honey ham in the deli and never seeming quite brave enough to try the head cheese. I often dreaded the smell of raw seafood and the piles of heavy pans that needed to be hand-scrubbed, but all of that was forgotten when my 15-minute breaks arrived. I could roam the aisles freely, exploring and discovering anything from roasted seaweed snacks to the many flavors of Spam.

Luckily for me, I met a guy who worked in the liquor department who just happened to share the same obsession, too. Plenty of kiwis and blueberry muffins later, we got married. I’m still surprised we didn’t have the wedding at a grocery store.
So where do two people who love grocery shopping go on date nights? Well, some couples go to a nice sit-down restaurant and order the shrimp scampi linguini. Others might prefer a box of Milk Duds and buttered popcorn at the movie theater. My husband and I like to hit up grocery stores where there is almost always a supply of free samples, like Wisconsin cheese curds, summer sausages, and a glazed donut hole or two. Sometimes, if we’re really lucky, we’ll go to the right place at the right time when they’re sampling cookies. Whole cookies! You can’t beat that.

Now, I’m not saying we make a full meal out of it. A sample is a sample is a sample. But a little free treat (keeping in mind societal norms and sample etiquette) never hurt anyone, right?

Some people might think that spending your evening scouting out the sample trays in the bakery is considered a cheap date, and they’re probably right. I’m not recommending that you spend your first date at the grocery store (unless you belong to the same club we do or you’re picking out dinner items together). At the same time, there are many reasons why the grocery store is a fantastic place for people wanting to get to know each other. Do they drink unsweetened soymilk, too? Does a bottle of fish sauce scare them away? It’s also fascinating how much you can learn about someone just by seeing how he or she navigates the cart through the crowded aisles. Do they wait for their turn, reroute themselves, or plow right along? Yes, grocery stores are perfect places to assess character.

There’s no doubt in my mind that if I were given the choice between a four-course meal where there are more forks on the table than shoes in my closet or a stroll through the produce section, I’d pick the latter any day.