Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I don’t like hippies…by and large theyre unattractive, smell bad, think every problem is solved by using my money, and live in a child-like fantasy land of unicorns, socialized medicine and VW minivans. However, once in a while one of these patchouli-scented annoyances will succumb to the dark side and actually, you know, try to make a living by getting into business. Ben and Jerry of Vermont ice cream fame spring to mind. Our local ‘health food’ store is actually an outstanding example of this. Selling ‘organic’ food, ‘fair wage’ products, and all the soy variations a human being could possibly want this place is actually a very slickly packaged, extremely upscale supermarket. Its demeanor belies its clientele. I go there for exactly two reasons:

First: Entertainment…. to get a rise out of outraged liberals when I wear one of my conservative t-shirts through the place. Secondly, they have an outstanding selection of bulk food. By bulk food, I mean they have bins full of rice (about thrity different types), grains (another dozen or so varieties), at least twenty dfferent types of beans, all sorts of flours, etc, etc. More importantly, they’ll sell that stuff in bulk at another 10% discount.

So, I was down there today ordering up 30# of orzo. I know what youre thinking..I’ve got 100+ pounds of rice, what the hell do I need rice shaped pasta for? Well, lately I’ve been experimenting with pasta/rice combinations (and that , my friends, is enough carbohydrates to make Dr Atkins explode in a greasy cloud of…whatever he’s made of) and figured since pasta stores reasonably well I’d see if its economical to stock up.

However, while I was there I threw a few curve balls at the customer service chick. (Who, contrary to my expectations from a hippie emporium like that one, did an outstanding job of being attentive, helpful and accomodating…must be a capitalist at heart) I asked about availability of powdered whole milk, tomato powder/crystals, dehydrated butter, dehydrated sour cream, etc. and please let me know if these are available in #10 cans, mkay?

“Making backcountry meals?”, she asks.

Hmmmm.

“Getting ready for summer. Fire camps.”, I reply.

She nods her head in agreement. “Gotcha”, she says.

Because as much as a Reagan-loving, gun-toting, money-grubbing, Commie-hating, meat-eating, sexist, free-thinking dude like myself may be out of place there I’d be even more out of place if I’d said “Nah, just a paranoid survivalist.”

So, I’ll go wash down some new buckets with bleach, break out the mylar liners and slap a Gamma Seal on them later next week. I know for a fact theres about 40# of pasta stuck away for normal everyday use, but it’ll be nice to have the orzo. Its excellent for soups, pilafs, and a few other dishes.

So..if you have a decent hippie market near you it might be worth checking out their bulk food section if they have one.