Groceries – that simple word – can mean so many different things. Before I lost my senses, my favorite grocery items would have been all about taste and smell. That was the point of groceries until a couple years ago. Ice cream was the ultimate favorite,but I could lose myself in the spice aisle. There were way too many interesting possibilities and combinations from around the world to have merely 5 top items until December 2023.

Starting in 2024, As time went by and I was learning how to live with the changes, my 5 top items centered on nostalgia. They were a last gasp at chasing down the memory of meals of my lifetime and hoping that something remained to be appreciated. But that passed away too with time. Nothing rang the taste/smell bell of memory. Some days managed to find sweet or sour but on other days even spicy peppers made no impression. As my acceptance of this new reality grew, I stopped eating anything because I would forget to eat. There was a disconnect with my own body. With no smells to pique my appetite, no flavors to satisfy, and no way to discern healthy from unhealthy and fresh from spoiled, I had to rely on memory and sight. I lost my ability to sense an entire branch of reality. Groceries then became rote. I bought the same things every week. I made my own bread because it kept me feeling as though I still had some say in my world. I didn’t need to taste or smell bread to make it. I could eat bread, and did eat bread, for any meal. I went whole days living on toasted bread with butter.

This too has now passed. The universe stepped in and has me too busy to bake bread every week. I remain disconnected from eating and from food as I try to create a world of different ways to celebrate holidays and special occasions. I never thought about how so many of my family’s traditions relied on our senses until mine decided to retire early.

My top 5 grocery items have changed drastically in the last 6 months as I have come to accept this new reality. Since I can generally eat anything now and not notice what I am eating, I now focus on any ‘Buy one, get one free’ items. Anything that’s not perishable such as Strawberry flavored pre-made frosting. I’ll take 2 please or maybe more if it’s pasta or rice. I don’t judge. Children deserve joy from food and so do adults. Every thing I get for free is something to give away on top of what I already have in abundance. So what are my top 5 grocery items?

1. Non-perishable buy one, get one free items
2. Produce – I have to eat veggies and fruit it might as well be fresh or frozen
3. Basic ingredients – flour, yeast, rice, pasta, beans,sugar, honey, salt, dried fruit
4. Small serving snacks – I cannot tell when I’m eating too much until my stomach hurts.
5. Tea, coffee, & sparkling water – any flavor! I really can’t tell, except Bergamot sometimes gets through.

Why so many on each number? Because the grocery store rarely has everything on my shopping list and I have given up on pre-planning menus for the week. It’s not exciting and that’s okay as long as I can get something extra to share with those who don’t have enough. My family puts in their own requests and helps me to discern if foods have gone bad. They helpfully double check things when I ask and know that there is more than likely not enough salt in anything I cook without a recipe.

You don’t have to be lacking your senses to recognize the boon that is the ‘buy one get one free’. It’s positively meant for sharing after all. So even when we don’t have extra money for groceries we can always share that extra item with someone who needs it.