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Warming up to Costco
I have never warmed up to Costco. The warehouse shopping experience intimidates me, and the crush of humanity gets on my nerves. That’s particularly true when it comes to negotiating the parking lot: it seems as though about every fourth vehicle is driven by an undercover operative assigned to drive up business for an auto body shop.
Nevertheless, when a friend and I had to travel to Kingston a few weeks ago, we resolved to set foot in Costco to accomplish our assigned mission, which was to pick up a couple of bags of miniature dark Swiss chocolate bars. The mission was accomplished without much fuss and bother, although I felt a little sheepish carrying my purchase in my arms; most people had carts loaded with big screen televisions, barbeques and frozen turkeys. Oh yes, and I almost got caught in a stampede to discover the best food sampling station of the day. I made a vow that I would only return if hell were to freeze over and I needed some road salt to traverse it.
My friend, acting on an impulse as good shoppers are trained to do, also picked up a couple of packets of something we had never seen before, and therefore never craved: “Dark Chocolate Nuggets, with Coconut and Superseeds,” made by Innofoods of Coquitlam. B.C.. It consisted of clusters of coconut chips blended with pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds, covered with Couverture Callebaut Belgian chocolate (apparently, very high qualty chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, used by culinary professionals). Wearing more badges than an over-achieving Boy Scout, the product represented itself to be certifed entirely organic, non- GMO, kosher, gluten-free, vegan friendly and devoid of artificial ingredients. True, it had 110 calories per serving, but it was made in Canada (with imported ingredients) and supported by the British Columbia Buy Local program.
All that package buildup suggested that the product itself would disappoint, but boy was I wrong. It was sublime. We now have to ration it. And, needless to say, since I haven’t found the dark chocolate nuggets (with coconut and super seeds) anywhere else, I am looking for an excuse to go back to Costco. Somehow, I will manage to overcome my reservations about the place. Food—especially recreational food—has a way of doing that to you.
(Costco also has a way of sucking up the supply of foods to which it takes a hankering. Our local grocer no longer stocks Sprague’s Gourmet Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Sauce because Costco takes all of Sprague’s production),
All of which got me to thinking how vital it can be to have an association with a signature food. Would Montreal matter a hill of beans without Montreal smoked meat? Would Nanaimo make it on to any recognized map without Nanaimo bars? Where would Digby be without scallops? Or Malpeque without oysters? Ottawa without beaver tails? Belleville without Hawkins Cheezies? And now, Coquitlam without dark chocolate nuggets (with coconut and super seeds)?
I suggest the County could benefit from having a signature food. Look what happened in the Kawarthas when they came up wth the idea of the Buttertart trail; or in Warwick, Quebec, to which they attributed the origins of poutine: there was a tourist explosion. Maybe our County signature food already exists and we just haven’t recognized it; perhaps it’s coconut cream pie (touted by the Waring House as its perennial best seller) or it’s apple dumpling (brought to the table by the Hillier Women’s Institute and already lauded in this column). Or perhaps it’s your neighbour’s lasagna.
Or maybe we should just come with a recipe that is tested and true, and then give it a fanciful name. For example, take your basic pound cake recipe, and top the product with a glaze of grape jelly. Call it Athol Loaf, to give it that whiff of historical association with the County, and then set everyone loose on coming up with their own take on the recipe. Pretty soon, you’d attract food writers sniffing out the next big thing, and before too long you’d have foodies lined up to get over the bridges. After a while, the County would be recognized as the “Athol Loaf Capital of Canada,” thereby cementing its place in the list of top 10 attractions in Eastern Ontario—right behind Costco.
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