…is what I’ve felt like saying lately due to their discontinuing a couple of my favorite products of theirs.
First it was their Woven Wheat crackers (basically knockoff Triscuits, but cheaper). Then this last weekend, I make my every couple months trip to their store (because it’s a bit of a schlep) only to discover that they’ve discontinued their condensed New England style clam chowder in the can. They replaced it supposedly with some fresh stuff in the refrigerated section that’s gloopy and has rice starch in it, ugh. I don’t like Progresso or Snow’s (their labels require a chemistry degree to decipher). Is there any canned clam chowder that’s worth a damn anymore, or do I have to learn to make it from scratch?
I don’t think my local TJs has ever had either of those products.
Also FWIW, my understanding is they sell a lot of stuff under the TJ brand that’s sourced from other companies and so sometimes when they stop carrying stuff it’s because that company discontinued it or went out of business or is having supply issues, etc. Which is apparently what happened to their frozen breakfast burritos, which are my most missed TJ item. And like the clam chowder, they’ve “replaced” them with fresh breakfast burritos but those are more expensive, a completely different filling, and only keep for a few days instead of being a long term lazy morning staple. (Though I do still like them.)
I used to buy this and love it, but then I started counting calories and it had to be the single most calorie dense food I ate. There was no realistic way to work it into my diet, and this coming from the guy who still eats ribs and other BBQ products as often as he can.
We generally don’t shop at TJs, but we often make a special trip at christmas time. My wife loves their sea salt caramels and I get more than a few of their Unibroue holiday ales.
My favorite things there are the frozen Indian entrees, the Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Massala, and the Butter Chicken. I take those, whip up my own medley of vegetables with Indian seasonings or even a home-made curry, and supplement the rather plain entrees with my veggies. Not as cheap as doing it all myself, which I do fairly often, but it’s quick and tasty. Most frozen Indian entrees I’ve tired are terrible, but these are really good.
I really like their frozen Indian chickpea entree. They used to have a version in a room-temp storable envelope (as they still do with the Madras Lentils) but then they went to a canned product which they only kept around of a couple of months (and it wasn’t as good) and then the only alternative left was the frozen one, which thankfully is pretty good, but I hate having something taking up valuable freezer space when it wouldn’t have done before.
BTW, another sin of the new fresh New England Clam Chowder is that it’s way too fishy tasting because the base is fish broth made with cod and haddock bones. The condensed canned stuff didn’t have that.
I think they still have the ghost pepper ones, which are not as spicy as that makes them sound and are otherwise kinda similar? But yes, the sriracha ones were better.
This is my fault, because anything I like in the realm of junk food is discontinued. Meanwhile Cooler Ranch Doritos, which taste and look like vomit, will never die.
Can recommend their Zhoug Sauce (a spicy blend of peppers and cilantro), especially on the multi-legume salt and pepper crisps. Also it seems like it should be easy to make at home but their garlic spread (lemon juice and garlic, pretty much) is amazing.
Right now the Trader Joe’s by me (and, I assume but don’t actually know, others elsewhere?) has this Jim Beam Repeal Edition whiskey that is way better than any $11 bottle of whiskey has a right to be.
