Plastic or Paper

I ask myself why do I hate grocery shopping? Is it because it lacks adventure? I go down the same aisles with the same list week after week, with an occaisional spark when a new product catches my eye. Is it because it is time consuming? After all, my nights and weekends are set aside for free minutes to work or study or sleep. Maybe it's the physical requirement of it. Unless of course you don't exceed the two bag minimum. And speaking of bags, when did we start having a choice? It's bad enough we have to decide between regular and decaf, smooth or crunchy, white or wheat, pepperoni or sausage, processed or organic, skim or soy, chocolate or vanilla, liquid or powder, single or double rolls. Don't even get me started on the cracker isle. I mean do I want cheddar, saltine, wheat, whole wheat, cracked wheat, white cheddar, chicken or buttered. After I decide that I have to choose the shape. Do I want square, triangle, rectangle, round, holiday shaped and now they even have them in those twisty shapes. Just too many decisions. It would be nice to do some things without having to engage the brain or research both sides in order to make an appropriate decision that is spiritually, physically, politically and environmentally correct. It's getting too complicated for me. The grocery is one of those never ending commitments. The second you finish, the next round is growing in it's demands. I have tried the "once a month and you'll just have to survive till I go back..." route and the "It's on my way home so I'll just stop in and grab dinner & tommorrows lunch..." concept. Still, it doesn't get easier. I have found a few things that make me (and no one else in the grocery) smile. I stand squeezing green bean cans until the restocker asks if I need help, I reply, "nope, I'm just picking a ripe one" Ask at the deli counter for meatless T-bone steaks as you are a vegetarian. I leave PETA flyers in the frozen foods next to the "Extra young peas" in protest of them being ripped from their mothers at such an early age ....and when the young man says, Paper or Plastic? reply, "That'll be fine thank you" and go back to the conversation you're having with your shopping cart. I'm sure if I looked at other things I do, I would find more energy sucking activities. I'm looking for that yoke that is supposed to be easy. Is it in the dairy section?