Ingredients For Life

SAFEWAY STORE MANAGER FRED ANDERSON RECEIVES THE KEYS TO THE NEW SAFEWAY STORE ON FORTUNA BLVD. THE PREVIOUS STORE WAS IN THE OLD FIREHALL AT 10TH AND N STREETS.

The Fortuna Safeway store is a nice microcosm of the entire community. Sure, it's a big corporate pattern store.  Yeah, so what.  It fits the Friendly City well.  Lots of visiting like you would find in a small supermarket such as the Murphy's stores in Blue Lake or Trinidad, but still large enough for you to shop in total obscurity at times when the store is packed.  (Ray's Food Place, formerly Food Mart,  just up the street for some odd reason is usually scarce of human activity.)

With the introduction of organic food items, Safeway in Fortuna is attracting more and more non-conventional food shoppers to stay in town instead of having to buy everything in the north county.   But tonight in the check-out line, the stereotype of the adult male Fortunan (as seen by outsiders) did appear.  There I was in line with my two butternut squash, bell peppers, yogurt, Vernor's Ginger Ale and other seemingly groovy items.  Right in front of me was a single guy in his 40's wearing NASCAR  gear with a honking, foot-long, pre-made meat sandwich, pre-made package of mashed potatoes and a cold case of Budweiser.  Right behind me was a guy in his 20's with a cold case of Bud Light and Hot Pockets.  Hey, it works for them. Just earlier, I was bombarded with the stench of patchouli oil in one of the aisles by a real, honest-to-God Humboldt Honey. Hey, it works for her.  And for the shareholders of Safeway Inc, it's Ingredients For Life.