We are in Trader Joe's and I hand you $20 and say "go get something you'd like." What would it be?

[Miles Archer]

I always wanted to try their meatless Chorizo and now live too far away from one to do that, but someday.

[DFW]

1. Pecan halves, grade B maple syrup (we like it thick) and Orange-flavored dried cranberries

Pecan halves are hard to find here, and cost a fortune when you do. They're starting to have cranberries here, but the orange-flavored ones are nowhere to be found, and maple syrup is always grade A.

I tried the meatless chorizo.

It had the consistency and taste of sawdust. Never again.

[trueblue2007]

16. yum!!!! good choices !!! i want it too. Add some chocolate though and it is a wrap.

[DFW]

17. I live in Europe, am in Brussels once a week

I wouldn't blow part of a $20 budget at Trader Joe's on chocolate when I can get the best during my lunch break!

[panader0]

2. Where's the beer aisle?

[Recursion]

3. Black bean dip and the remainder in 2-buck Chuck. (nt)

[LiberalEsto]

4. Brie, Tuscan pane and apples

[gvstn]

58. I think they have a mushroom brie.

It's like $11.99/lb. but I would try that. There regular brie is a bargain! And the pane is good especially toasted.

[Xyzse]

5. Their cheap $5 large chocolate bars.

I'd get one, and I'd be set for 2 weeks.

I'll pocket the rest.
Well, at least for another 2 weeks till I get another one.

I'd be good for 2 months.

[niyad]

6. are we in colorado or some place civilized?

if civilized, going for some decent wine, and then some cheese and chocolate (LOVE those big bars!) if in colorado, a big chocolate bar, some decent cheese, and pumpkin cheesecake

[CTyankee]

35. In CT we can'[t buy wine in supermarkets. It wasn't until a few years back that liquor stores

couldn't be open on Sundays. That got changed several years ago. Interestingly, the liquor store lobby was against the Sunday open bill. They didn't want to pay for staff to run the stores an extra day...said they'd lose money. I don't think that happened, tho.

[niyad]

41. colorado is still behind the times--just got sunday sales a couple of years ago, and NO

alcohol (well, except for that 3.2 swill) in supermarkets. there are petitions going around now to change this nonsense.

[Hotler]

55. I do not want to see alcohol sold in supermarkets here.

It would steal a lot of businees from mom and pop liquor stores. Most of the people I've met here that want alcohol in supermarkets are transplants and that is this states biggest problem right now.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Go to the nearest Farmers Market

and buy something that was grown/raised locally.

[antiquie]

8. Dates, persimmons, pears, pistachios, sweet potatoes, bavarian rye bread.

Their meatless chorizo is, IMNHO, the worst thing in the store.

[grasswire]

26. have you tried the frozen falafel?

I think that's the worst thing I've had from TJ.

[antiquie]

33. No, and thank you for the warning.

[Codeine]

50. I didn't think it was too bad.

Frozen falafel will never be quite right, but it was decently edible.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

9. A taxi

To some other place.

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. Lol

[MrScorpio]

10. Meet me in the deli

[Arugula Latte]

11. Their Mac n Cheese balls, a bottle of their New Zealand sauvignon blanc,

and those shortbread cookies with the chocolate in the middle.

Not going for the health factor so much with those purchases.

[Initech]

12. A couple of six packs, no question!

[Kali]

13. sour cherry juice, their regular hummous,

cheese twists, frozen pasta (butterfly with cheese and spinach), chinese dumplings, or maybe those red shrimp from South America that taste like lobster. wine.

[Arugula Latte]

61. Those cheese twists are good!

And we always get the chicken-cilantro mini wontons -- yum.

[sakabatou]

14. Chocolate covered pretzles

[a la izquierda]

18. Their Spanish olive oil. NT

[MosheFeingold]

19. I would

Get $20.

[mainstreetonce]

20. Almond cookies

...

[mucifer]

21. vegan pad thai, nuts and cranberry and chocolate mix.

[NV Whino]

22. A bottle of Finlagan Scotch

Or dark chocolate peanut butter cups and a cheese cake.

[petronius]

27. +1 on the peanut butter cups! Also a couple bottles of $2 buck chuck,

their chevre, a baguette, hummus, ...

[NV Whino]

32. I could skip the hummus

But their goat cheese with honey... Oh yum!

[NJCher]

68. Aldi has that, too

That's where I get it 'cuz it's slightly less expensive.

Ah, the luxury--having access to both an Aldi and a TJ.

There has to be something good about living in NJ.


Cher

[Skittles]

23. box of This Blueberry Walked into a Bar

bag of single-serving cashews, Triple Ginger cookies, P&J chocolate bar

[LiberalElite]

24. The...

Mediterranean Hummus, a box of the maple sandwich cookies; a couple bottles of Two Buck Chuck (except in NYC it's $3.99).

[Snobblevitch]

25. I have always found Trader Joe's

to be over-rated. I don't know what meatless chorizo could possibly be.

If a food is meatless, why would it have meat as an ingredient?

[TexasBushwhacker]

70. It's probably made from tempe

It's a fermented soybean product. It has more texture than tofu, but like tofu takes on the taste of whatever you season it with.

[Snobblevitch]

71. I guss I was not good at making my point.

If someone is a vegan because of mostly moral reqsons (ie. not eating something with a face) why would they eat something made to taste like or be similar to meat?

[TexasBushwhacker]

72. I get what you're saying

Most people aren't raised vegetarians, but I think people naturally like food that is"meaty" in texture and taste. Even if they don't eat animals, they will still have a craving for protein.

[grasswire]

28. cheeses and dried fruits

and they have cool greeting cards for a dollar.

Oh wait. Last time I was there I bought a tub of refrigerated sauerkraut with persian cucumbers in it. It was spectacular. Really delicious.

[Agschmid]

29. Either the frozen organic meat pies, or cookies... all the cookies.

[shenmue]

30. Mini-keg

[mackerel]

31. Inca corn nuts, olive oil popcorn, the salmon dinner that comes with the orzo in the mint sauce.

Their eggs are a good deal. I just pick up a dozen tonight. Oooooo and their carrot juice! The regular is so yummy.

[grasswire]

34. OH!! Kringle!!

I had a sample a few weeks ago of the enormous kringle made for TJ in Wisconsin.

OMG, it was deeelicious. I would not be able to eat more than a couple of bites (carbs) but my family would adore it.

[Brickbat]

36. Cookie butter and cheap wine.

[OakCliffDem]

37. Fresh Cut Flowers

I would then use the fresh cut flowers as a bribe to my significant other and hopefully get lucky.

[vanlassie]

38. Ham and gruyere pizza. Joe-Joes. Chocolate covered orange jelly sticks.

Frozen garlic naan. Frozen chocolate chip cookie dough.

[Miles Archer]

39. They used to sell a killer "personal size" Margherita Pizza.

A very nice little pizza dotted with dollops of fresh mozzarella (little circles the size of a nickel that would melt out to the size of a quarter) and my favorite part...a large fresh leaf of basil that you could julienne and scatter on top before baking. The pizza was FRESH...in the refrigerated section, NOT frozen...and that really made all the difference.

I also liked their bagged Basmati rice.

I used to go to the location in the Pruneyard in Campbell, CA. At the time, Barnes and Noble was within brief walking distance, and Tower Records was right across the street. I was good for a minimum of one trip a week there.

[vanlassie]

40. Oooh!! Sounds Great!

[tonekat]

42. In North VA, I'd get

The Bourbon Barrel Aged Grade A Dark Maple Syrup. It's like having brunch with Aunt Jemima's wild young niece. That and

Chicken Lasagna in the fridge section.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

43. Do they sell liquor?

[Art_from_Ark]

44. I've never been to Trader Joe's,

but if they had Caerphilly cheese, I'd stock up on that.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

45. I've never been there either. There isn't one in my area.

[hifiguy]

53. TJ's cheese counter is the

real deal.

[GOLGO 13]

46. Something with liquor in it.

It's the only answer. Guys, amirite?

[aidbo]

47. 4 bottles of wine.

[Kang Colby]

48. Frozen Mini Tacos...n/t

[Tipperary]

49. Those sugary almonds!

Yum. Actually I have never been in a Trader Joe's, but a friend bought me some once.

[Codeine]

51. A year ago I'd have said twenty bucks worth of Tuscan White Bean Hummus and some pita,

but they don't have that hummus anymore, the bastards!

So I'm getting one regular hummus, one pita, and the remainder in dark-chocolate-covered banana bites.

[hifiguy]

52. A nice chunk of the chive Double Gloucester cheese.

I swear there are opiates in it.

A pizza of some kind, and a bottle of Three Buck Chuck Syrah.

[kath]

54. Some Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds (OMG!),

Triple Ginger Snaps, Sipping Chocolate (available at Christmas/Hannukah time), Pound Plus Belgian Chocolate Bars (rumored to be Callebaut chocolate).

Then, if any money left (or if you gave me more)- kalamata olive oil, the European thin butter almond cookies, the waffle butter cookies, Cookie Butter, Sea Salt Caramels (I think also only available at the holidays), Mango Granola cereal, ...

[Generic Brad]

56. "Gone Bananas" Roasted Plantain Chips

I had to give up potato chips due to my low sodium diet. Then I found these bad boys.

All the pleasure of a thick cut potato chip, no overbearing sweetness, just the right crunch. They are so much better than those dehydrated bananas everyone else sells that are horrid rubbery versions of bananas. These plantains are like eating chips!

[marym625]

57. a loaf of Mom's bread

[MrMickeysMom]

59. I'd get some more Trader Joe's Bold and Smokey...

Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce!

It's da bess!

[artislife]

60. We have a great section for Indian food in ours

Love the Salad selections. I think it is the dressings. Oh and the Salt and Pepper ridged potato chips.

[haele]

62. Tikka Masala Naan.

Bird's Nest veggie and mushroom tart hors d'orves, perhaps a few other "nibbles" for a "tapas" night. Dried Fruit.

Haele

[geardaddy]

63. A case of the 100% unsweetened cranberry juice.

It's so cheap there. I love to put that in sparking water and make my own pop (yes, I said 'pop').

[retrowire]

64. Okay, so their meatless Chorizo is the BEST meatless chorizo out there.

But I'd buy those iced Maple cookies with that 20, thank you.

[Miles Archer]

65. I was interested in the meatless chorizo because...

...I'm just concerned about what goes into traditional commercial chorizo. Same for Italian Sausage. I have a Kitchen Aid meat grinder. I've been sorting through recipes and plan to make my own. I've seen recipes for making chorizo too. I think if I knew exactly what went into it and could do some quality control up front, I'd feel better about eating it.

[retrowire]

66. Oh no worries, I empathize completely.n/t

[restorefreedom]

69. i have had soyrizo and it is good

never had tj though. wonder how it compares

[grasswire]

67. I was just there.

I bought 4 bottles of extra gingery ale, two pkg of coconut strips, a pkg of the 72 percent dark chocolate bars, and some pistachio nuts. Just a quick stop. I was looking for the fabulous almond kringle that they import from Wisconsin, but none available until next week.