Gutted

Gutted

Do you know the children’s story by Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Well yesterday I felt like I’d stepped into the shoes of a grumpy little boy who’d been force to eat lima beans and wear his loathed railroad-train pajamas.

For some reason the software I use to write my blogs refused to post. After an hour or so, I redid the whole mess in Blogger itself. And what happened? Google’s blogging darling vomited the text into cyberspace in one unformatted chunk. It wasn’t pretty.

In the midst of my struggle with technology, Andrew returned from the butcher and dropped a bomb. He told me they are closing at the end of the month.

And what happened? I did what any normal foodie would do. I burst into tears and threatened to go vegetarian.

I love my butcher shop. I trust the butcher. I trust his suppliers. No hormones, not antibiotics and only grain-fed. His chicken pieces are so big I have to alter the cooking times on all my recipes. His beef is tastier than any supermarket cut. He has spoiled me so thoroughly I would rather go without inferior meat than eat water-infused, briny grocery-store fare. Plus his prices are reasonable.

While my tech issues continue, they will eventually be resolved. But my beloved butcher shop will be gone forever.

“My Mickey Mouse night light burned out and I bit my tongue,” little Alexander moans. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Anyone else lost a trusted food supplier? How did you feel? Go on. Be poetic. Misery loves company.

Photo © law_keven. Published under a Creative Commons License.

No Comments
  • cheryl
    Posted at 12:26h, 13 May

    I wish I had a butcher shop I trusted so I could be depressed when it closed down, but alas, I have to buy all my meat at the grocery store.

    Interesting that you see grain-fed as a plus — isn’t grass-fed the gold standard of sustainable meat these days??? Maybe it depends on what you’re after.

    Good luck w/ Blogger. Your vomit comment has me in stitches.

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 12:33h, 13 May

    Cheryl, good question. Grain-fed is a plus because it means no chicken feathers or animal by-products make their way into the feed.

    Grass-fed isn’t possible here all year, so I’m fine with grain-fed since I know the cows graze in the warmer weather.

    And “vomit” is the only word for yesterday’s fiasco. It seems that my offline editor and Flickr are scrapping, with Blogger caught in the middle. Guess who’s suffering collateral damage?

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 12:34h, 13 May

    Oh man, that’s rough. What terrible news! I’d be heartbroken if I lost my butcher. What happened, why are they going out of business?

    We’ve recently lost so many neighborhood staples because of rising rents and declining business. A few years ago I lost my beloved Korean grocery which was only a block away from my home. They had the most amazing, pristine, fresh vegetables. All so immaculate you could have eaten them off the shelves.

    The store stocked everything except meat and it was invaluable to me. I think I was in there every day for something or other.

    I cried – real tears – when they told me they were going out of business and I have mourned the loss every day since.

    I feel your pain. 🙁

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 12:34h, 13 May

    Oh man, that’s rough. What terrible news! I’d be heartbroken if I lost my butcher. What happened, why are they going out of business?

    We’ve recently lost so many neighborhood staples because of rising rents and declining business. A few years ago I lost my beloved Korean grocery which was only a block away from my home. They had the most amazing, pristine, fresh vegetables. All so immaculate you could have eaten them off the shelves.

    The store stocked everything except meat and it was invaluable to me. I think I was in there every day for something or other.

    I cried – real tears – when they told me they were going out of business and I have mourned the loss every day since.

    I feel your pain. 🙁

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 12:57h, 13 May

    Diva, I cried real tear, too. Selfish, not tears.

    My butcher is retiring. He’s worked long and hard for many years. On a personal level I hope he enjoys his much deserved retirement. I’m just being totally selfish. Spoiled and selfish. Pass the kleenex. I’m getting verklempt just thinking about it.

  • Divawrites
    Posted at 13:54h, 13 May

    Stemmlers meats in Heidelberg. A bit of a drive from Guelph, but 10 mins from U of W. Dave went to school with the Stemmler boys, they make their own preservative/nitrate free cold cuts, hotdogs, sausage etc and their meat is quality. They know how to deal with food allergies too.
    http://www.stemmlermeats.ca/

  • Anonymous
    Posted at 17:20h, 13 May

    I am more bummed than you!!! This puts a whole new light on Christmas breakfast.
    O.K. – here is a dribble of sympathy for you too.
    Love.
    Super Tasting Sister

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 17:41h, 13 May

    Aw, he has no family to take over the business? Such a shame. I mean, certainly, he deserves his retirement … but still …

    Such a bummer. 🙁

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 17:41h, 13 May

    Aw, he has no family to take over the business? Such a shame. I mean, certainly, he deserves his retirement … but still …

    Such a bummer. 🙁

  • Cheryl Arkison
    Posted at 09:21h, 14 May

    I was just in the butcher shop yesterday, stocking up the freezer with chicken (so juicy and plump) and Galloway beef.

  • Cheryl Arkison
    Posted at 09:21h, 14 May

    I was just in the butcher shop yesterday, stocking up the freezer with chicken (so juicy and plump) and Galloway beef.

  • Marta
    Posted at 12:14h, 14 May

    hahaha I love the drama!
    Yes, actually, quite recently I love my basil guy. There’s the farmer in my farmers’ market who only did herbs. Oh, what an amazing stand he had, it was my favourite in the entire market!!! I ALWAYS got my basil from him because he had all the funky varieties and just the best quality. Well, he’s gone! I didn’t even get the chance to say good-bye, I was so heart-broken when I saw the empty stand last week!!!! I hope he’s just on vacation!

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 18:33h, 14 May

    Diva Lisa, thanks for the recommendation. We’re at U of W often so will check them out.

    Super Tasting Sister, you cannot be bummed about a once a year ham. We go at least twice a week and I’m quite distraught. Allison’s having a fit too. Fingers crossed the man who bought the business keeps the suppliers.

    Cheryl, plump and juicy chicken is one of the reasons I fell for this butcher. Can’t abide the piddly grocery store offerings.

    Marta, I could fall for a basil man. I grow my own in summer, but the bugs eat more than I do. And there are so many varieties now. Yes, I’d have been upset at the empty stall, too.