August 24, 2011

My French Grocery - the Hyper U

 
Everytime I go back to the States, I am asked the question.....What is it you miss from France when you come home to the States?  You might be surprised, or maybe not, but I miss my Hyper U, the grocery store.  No matter where I am, hardly a day goes by that I am not in a grocery store   And the U stores are the best.... they make grocery shopping a pleasure....WHY???   
In a nutshell, they are clean, very well organized, and the U brands are exceptional....
(Remember, if you want to see the photos larger, just double click on them.)
Let's go inside....
You only see it this empty during lunch time when most French people are home having lunch.  Great time to shop...no crowds.  Yep, you can buy your dog house there too.

Produce is seasonal. You won't see strawberries in September or grapes in June.....so much more flavor.  Notice the price of the leeks...and that is per kilo (2.2 lbs)  Why do they have to be so expensive in the US.

Well, it goes without saying that the cheese aisle...no, make that plural...aisles are over the top. Cow, goat, ewe.....fresh, aged.....bio (organic).  What did DeGaulle say?  "Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?" (How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?)  And, I am sure there are many more than that now.  This is just 2 of the 6 photos of the cheese areas.



 It's BIO!
Bio (organic) products are integrated into all areas of the store.  But this particular week, they brought them to the front of the store into what I call the 'special features' area that gets changed every 3-4 days.....This area is one of the first things you see when you walk in the store and it is always changing. 





Another special feature....Products of the World...



ROSÉ TIME!
OK.....maybe this would be my favorite section......so many choices....so little time....


There are also my favorite things to accompany the rosé...and all of these go home in my suitcase.  Great hazelnuts that are so so fresh.  The U brand fois gras is to die for.  The duck rillettes are really just duck BBQ...quick spread for a crostini. And sometimes the cheese palmiers find their way into my carry-on for a petite snack on the way back. Notice these are all the store brand....the best!







To see more photos, CLICK HERE

So between the local village markets and the Hyper U,  groceries are a cinch.....except where are the grits??? 

2 comments:

  1. Oh MJ: to die for! When we had rented the house in Goult we spent HOURS at the Super U, and yes, someday I'll show you the pictures I took of the cheese aisle!
    But the roses (sorry, no accent here..) I didn't remember that. Wow! And here, at Harris Teeter, I think there may be three to choose from.
    Hope all is well there. I arrive 9/30: will be in touch!

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  2. Ah, the Rose section at the Hyper U. You know I went to the "Rose section" at a local liquor store here in Rhode Island and they only had 3 kinds? Do you know what is even worse? Right next to the Rose is the White Zinfindel!!! Blasphemy!!

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