Shopping for Food

It's been a wonderful weekend. I flew to Bethel for another new teacher inservice, which I thought was pretty good. We left Friday afternoon at 2:30 and arrived in Bethel a little before 3. We went directly to the district office since this is where we were spending the night. I got my air mattress and went in search of the perfect sleeping spot. I found it: it was a small work room. It was compact and private. Perfect for me. So, I claimed my spot, went to find my friends, and took off for the grocery store.

We went to the grocery store not to shop, but to plan. This was my first stop before dinner, which isn't really a great time to visit the store, but I wanted to check out all the aisles, find the sales, and groan about the prices. I needed to prepare myself for the actual shopping day. Immediately following the inservice on Saturday, I headed out for a few hours of shopping. In August, I had won a gift certificate for Subway. So, Subway was my first stop. I haven't been to a restaurant since July, so I made certain I got exactly what I wanted. I even told them exactly how many slices of tomatoes to put on my sandwich - three. They all laughed at how precise I was with this sandwich.

So, with sandwich in hand, I crossed the street to ACs (Alaska Commercial Co), a grocery store. I gingerly held the handle of my shopping cart as I perused the aisles of goodies. What to get? We had chartered a plane back, so weight wouldn't be a problem. We had 1000 pounds of weight available to us. The plane can handle about 1200 pounds, so I just deducted 200 for the pilot. For the three of us, that meant we each had about 334 pounds. So. . . why not? I got just about everything I wanted. Interested in prices? Okay, here's a sample: 12 quarts of milk - $35.15, white potatoes 5lbs - $6.99, hamburger patties 3lbs - $12.99, 16 cans of tuna - $20, one small bag frozen peas - $6.45, loaf of bread on sale this week $4 ( $8.59 originally), 6 Hostess glazed donuts - $5.79, large lemon joy dish soap - $6.59, eight slices turkey and eight slices cheese - $5.99 each. All in all, I filled one and a half carts full of food and spent $335. I must say my prices may be a bit misleading because I really only bought the items that were on sale! Add about 10% to the cost and that is the actual cost of the items. The weight of my groceries was around 160 pounds. So I took my fair share of weight on that plane! It's one thing to estimate prices; it's another when you are trying to also estimate weight! I think I am set until Christmas. The milk I bought is shelf milk and can last until February. I was thrilled with my purchases and could hardly wait until I got home.

I took a cab to a friend's house and picked up my backsack and computer and headed for the airport. Our flight was scheduled for 6:30 and I was early - 5:30. Sue was there and Pete arrived just after 6:30. The plane was loaded and we were off for home.

The tundra had really changed since the summer. The muted browns and oranges covered the land. No more green! On the lakes you could already see the ice beginning to form. We saw hundreds of geese and ducks flying and just sitting on the rivers. The flight back was lovely. I don't mind flying in these small planes. (Isn't that odd? I just hate being in the large commercial jets and I don't mind one bit these 4 seaters!) We arrived in Akula, and Deanna was there with the boat. It took several trips to load all my boxes into the school boat, and we were off for Akiuk. It was a short, cold ride home. It had just rained, so the temperature had really dropped. We took our time, too, because the river has receded so much. The river by my house has receded at least 15 feet. Just another sign that winter is very close. After several trips from the dock to home, I had all my boxes in my house and the unpacking began. And then dinner. . . Subway!


I have spent the last six weeks cooking my own meals, so having a restaruant meal is a real treat. I don't eat school meals b/c of the cost. Breakfast is $2.50 and lunch is $5.00. At that price, it can really add up fast. Last year they allowed the staff to charge their meals. One teacher ended up paying $600. Six hundred dollars for school lunches is really high for me! So, I cook my own meals.


In addition to shopping in Bethel for food, I have fresh veggies and fruit delivered to me twice a month from Full Circle Farms in Washington. The cost is $54 each time, but I think it is well worth it. The order is filled on a Sunday and delivered to us on a Monday. Actually, they deliver it by plane to Nunapitchuk and we go get it after school by boat. A teacher at Nunapitchuk recruited enough teachers at three nearby villages so the company will make a delivery to us. The food is as fresh as it can get. I will probably do this for the entire year. That makes shopping that much easier! You can do so much when you know you have fresh produce.

So, as you can see I am well feed! Throw in the teacher parties and I don't think I will starve! Life is good out here on the tundra. Not quite like home -but close.