Acquiring Skills For Life

I will leave Tununak one day, and when I do I will have collected the weirdest set of experiences.  For example, I have cooked the senior banquet for six seniors and their ten guests each.  I have run sound effects at a district-wide art performance.  I have help create high school student schedules.  But the most helpful thing, I'm sure, is perfecting the art of grocery shopping.  A never ending process, shopping for food has become some sort of weird obsession.

First off, remember that while there are two stores in town, the prices are exorbitant and the selection miserable.  So our shopping usually happens twice a year - once in the fall and again over winter break.

For the grocery nerds out there is our list.

Here's the basic plan.

1. Inventory what's on hand in our house.
2. Using that list and previous lists, begin making the current shopping list.
3. Separate it out into dry, shelf stable items; refrigerator; and frozen.  These will be coming from different locations.
4. Once separated, attempt to order as much as possible from Amazon.  With free shipping it often has some incredible deals. 
5. The refrigerator and frozen items, however, require far more thought.  After getting frustrated with the professional shoppers (commissioned shoppers in Anchorage) we decided to try it ourselves.  The process requires a number of coolers (three), some cooler bags (two), duct tape, ice packs, and a knife.  
6. Show up at the airport.  Thank Alaska Air for their liberal three bag free policy (when flying within the state of Alaska).  Slap the stickers on and board.  Pray that the village flight is not too full so that all of your coolers get to fly with you.
7. Unpack.  It's like Christmas.  Kind of.

Here's what are freezer looks like right now - stocked full for next school year.  

Mmm.  Frozen foods.

Angie did all the shopping.  Booyeah.