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YumSugar Gift Guide: The Hipster Foodie

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:52 -0800

A friend of mine, who fits the classification of hipster to a T, also happens to love all things gourmet. Initially, I was at a loss for what to get her, but I quickly discovered that there's an array of niche gift items that converge at the juncture of food, music, and cutting-edge cool. Case in point: I have to get her this book about underground dining, and because she loves to push the envelope, I know she'll flip for this shopping bag.

Want more gift ideas? Browse the selection below or check out all the gift guides on HolidaySugar.

Will You Carry Your Groceries In Reusable Bags?

partysugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:53:19 -0700

Last week the city of San Francisco announced the ban of all plastic grocery bags. I've always chosen paper over plastic because they don't dig into the tender skins on the palm of your hands and was happy to learn that my choice was also the more environmentally correct option. Then on Saturday when I was making a cake my mom was in the kitchen reading the new Time magazine aloud to me (my family is big on reading aloud) going over the 51 steps we could take to make the world a greener place. Halfway through she mentioned carrying reusable totes as grocery bags and we got to talking about the ban on plastic baggies. Fast forward a few hours and my bff Emily shows up at dinner with a surprise for me. It's called a chicobag, and it's a reusable grocery bag that folds up and fits into a tiny bag that will easily slide unnoticed into your oversized everyday Marc Jacobs purse. I'm really excited about being able to do my part to help save the world from global warming and wonder will you carry your groceries in reusable bags?

An Inconveniently Convenient Bag

partysugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:01:31 -0700

I have always had a thing for fabulous handbags. Last year, when it became uncool to use environmentally unfriendly plastic and paper grocery bags, I suddenly started collecting reusable, canvas grocery bags. Last season I was obsessed with the I'm Not A Plastic Bag statement tote and this year I'm crazy about The Inconvenient Bag ($19.99) carryall.

Neither paper nor plastic, this large canvas tote - available in four different designs - is the size of a normal, brown grocery bag and can hold up to 45 pounds. The bags are made in LA from biodegradable cotton and non-toxic dyes. While it may not be as convenient as carrying groceries home in paper or plastic, toting my food in the inconvenient bag, makes me feel like I'm doing my part to help save the world.

If you don't have a reusable tote, I highly recommend this fun, fashionable, eco-friendly bag!

Simple Tip: Keep Reusable Totes in Your Trunk

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:50:50 -0700

From drinking less bottled water to making more educated seafood choices, I've been all about adopting a greener lifestyle. But simple as it sounds, the one thing I could never quite nail down was bringing reusable totebags to the grocery store.

Every Sunday, without fail, I'd pull into my local Trader Joe's, and catch the "Don't forget to bring your reusable bags!" sign in the parking lot, only to realize that I'd left all of my totebags at home. After repeating this mistake too many times to count, I finally collected all of my market totes and put them in the trunk of my car. Now, I have an array of bag sizes that come in handy not just for my weekly groceries, but also for takeout, dinner party leftovers, and anything else you can imagine.

Where do you keep your reusable bags, so you don't forget them?

Whole Foods Bans Plastic Bags

YumSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:27:31 -0800

Plastic bags seem to be the new public enemy number one. They have already been banned in San Francisco, Melbourne, Hong Kong, and several other cities. Not to mention that the entire country of China is going to start charging consumers for them. Having said all that, it should come as no surprise to hear that Whole Foods is eliminating plastic grocery bags from its stores. The chain is hoping to encourage folks to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag - and will refund five cents for every brought bag that is used. Folks who don't bring their own bags will be able to use Whole Foods's 100 percent recycled and recyclable paper bags. It is hoping to be completely plastic bag free by Earth Day, April 22, 2008.

So what do you think of this plastic bag ban? Do you agree? Will you be bringing your own bag?

RuMe Reusable Snack Pack: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:50:35 -0700

If you already carry your groceries in reusable bags, then you might take a liking to reusable polyester snack packs. The colorful, patterned one pictured above, by fair trade maker RuMe, is meant to store your sandwiches and midday snacks not once or twice but many times over. Although it may require a little maintenance cleaning every once in a while, a reusable snack bag makes a colorful fashion statement - and more sense for the environment. Is it a change you'd be willing to make?

Texas Woman Faces Frog in Frozen Beans

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:30:26 -0700

What's the deal with frozen green beans? Last Fall, a New Zealander discovered a shrunken mouse's head in hers, and, proving we're just as prone to the situation stateside, a Texas woman reportedly opened a bag to find a frog's face staring back at her.

Chasity Erbaugh from Tyler, TX, went to stir butter into her green beans and encountered the whole front end of a frog, spinal cord attached, with its tongue hanging out. Horrified, she notified county health inspectors, who got in touch with the Wal-Mart where she purchased the beans to have the rest of the lot pulled from shelves. Although the county health department filed a complaint with the FDA, it also urged consumers to look closely at their food before eating it. But Erbaugh has lost her confidence with frozen foods. Moving forward, she vows to only buy fresh vegetables, even if the measure is at her expense. "Do you know how much my grocery bill is fixing to go up?" she said.

After hearing about a shopper who - almost literally - got a frog in her throat, are you less likely to buy frozen fruits and vegetables? Do you agree with the health department, which insinuated that the responsibility lies with each diner to ensure he is eating safe food? Have you ever found something that's less than kosher in your frozen produce?

Self-Checkouts Better For Your Wallet and Waistline

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:15:18 -0700

Next time you're waiting in line at the supermarket, do yourself a favor and mosey over to the self-checkout instead. According to Consumer Reports, ringing up groceries yourself could save you calories - as well as cash.

Last month, the magazine reported that the unit price of Coke at the register was more than twice as expensive as Coke sold in the beverage aisle, illustrating the fact that items sold near the checkout tend to be more costly than their grocery aisle counterparts. Since self-checkouts mean more distractions, fewer snack options, and a shorter wait time, bagging your own food could also be better for your health. A 2007 study revealed impulse buys dropped more than 32 percent among women and 16 percent among men when shoppers rang up their own purchases. The same survey also suggested that women could lose up to 4.1 pounds - and men 3.1 pounds - yearly by eliminating impulse buys at the checkout altogether.

I've gone to the self-checkout in the past to purchase an item or two, but I must admit that I avoid it otherwise, since my impatient self can't handle it when the automated system gets stuck on a bar code or a bagged item. Nevertheless, these stats have me reconsidering self-bagging. Do you think there's truth to the claim?

Source

Do You Go Through the Self-Checkout?

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:15:12 -0700

Although a recent report found that you can save both cash and calories by going through the self-checkout at the grocery store, some consumers have mixed feelings about scanning your own sundries. On one hand, you can bag everything to your liking, but on the other hand, the automated machines often get stuck on unseen errors. What's your take on them?

Source

Trend Alert: Celebrity-Crafted Food Carryalls

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700

These days, virtually every celebrity - from Lauren Conrad to Jessica Simpson - has his or her own womenswear, footwear, accessory, and fragrance line. But celebrity lunchbags and farmers market totebags? Lately we've seen the celebrity, fashion, and food worlds collide, with all sorts of celebrity-designed carryalls for everything from our groceries to our lunch.

PartySugar and I might have been on to something when we said that we prefer to carry our farmers market goodies in style. It seems others were thinking the exact same thing. First, Whole Foods announced Sheryl Crow would be custom-designing its latest green grocery bag. Then celebrity chef Mario Batali jumped on the design bandwagon, randomly unveiling his own line of sleek lunch bags. The latest? A collaboration between Jennie Garth and the Sierra Club.

While I'm a bigger fan of some of the designs than others, if this trend encourages shoppers to be more eco-friendly - wasting less resources on plastic and paper grocery bags and lunch bags - then it's for the better. What do you think of the trend? Would you buy Sheryl's, Mario's, or Jennie's bags?

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