You know when you're cooking, and the recipe calls for "1 c red wine" or some other silly amount? You don't want to open a bottle of something if you're not going to finish it. Quite often, you're going to have wine anyway, but sometimes you're not. Or sometimes you don't want to dump two cups of the special wine you've bought to have with dinner into the sauce, forcing you to open a second bottle with dinner. For a while, I was keeping small amounts of leftover wine in the freezer in bags, but it never freezes all the way, or I forget about it, or it gets in the way. I take after my grandma in the freezer department, so I'm always needing to make room for something else, and the fermented grape slushies had to go.
I'm sure that the Gotts and Co. of Three Thieves didn't intend to make cooking wine when they made these little 250 ml "bullets" but they sure work for that. The wine is not that great, but it's just fine for sauces, and you can stow it in the pantry until you need it. I'm a pretty open-minded wine drinker, by the way, and I'm not afraid of a low price tag in and of itself. (A two-buck price tag is a no-no, however, if you get my drift. I have tried that stuff, and it is gross.) I have been known to buy whole cases of $6.99 chablis from Trader Joe's and like it. Not often, but once or twice. I've had their tetra-pak of Pinot Grigio before, and it was actually ok. But anyway, it's a solution to the cooking wine dilemma.
The next good idea is this Pharmaca thing. We just got one. Very smart. It's a beautiful, open store, with pretty displays and lots of light and color. There are testers, free samples and a licensed aesthetician in the cosmetics area... and a sink and towels for washing the tests off. Why is this smart? Because cosmetics are high-dollar items. Not only are they profitable for the store, but people want to check them out before they take them home. If I trust that I'm getting good advice, and I get to feel and smell the product, not only am I going to buy it, but I'm going to feel good about my purchase and return. See? Smart.
They are stepping right onto the escalator of the current natural/organic trend, but by being an "integrative" pharmacy, they also offer band-aids and regular old stuff like Doctor Scholl's products for your feet, and tampons (conventional, organic cotton and bleach-free), and soap and magazines. So if I'm curious, I can pop in there and check out my options without worrying that I'm wasting a trip. A lot of the things I want are there. It has its drawbacks, of course. The main and most profitable purpose, and the one that takes up the most shelf space, is supplements. Of which they have their own brand. Which most people don't need. There are all sorts of trendy things, like CLA, whey protein, I couldn't even begin to list them all. If you want it, it's there. And the illusion is that if it's there, it's good for you. And there are some things that just aren't. So I'm hoping that the sales-folks are well-trained enough not to overly recommend things that are potentially harmful in high doses. That could lead to trouble.
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