There's more to urban hunting and gathering than visiting one's local supermarket. Grocery shopping need not be limited to the likes of Safeway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. They're just so... corporate, and this shopper is a bit bored with the over-marketing of, well, markets. Small, individually-owned stores might not provide their customers with all their shopping needs, but they do offer something that the Big Boys cannot -- individuality.
One such store exists in my Polk Street neighborhood -- You Say Tomato. It's British-owned and operated, by one David Kidd, originally from Stoke-on-Trent. If you're unfamiliar with the name of that town, think again. Yes, the china with the Christmas trees on it -- Spode. Very good. I'm proud of you for remembering. I hope dredging up those holiday memories wasn't too painful for you.
Currently, a flexible-jointed punked-out doll greets passers-by from the front window with a gesture that is considered rather obscene in Britain, which might indicate that this is no typical tea-and-crumpets venue. No, it isn't typical, but, well, there are the crumpets in the cold case to the left, and the tea sits proudly on the shelves near the back. Sensible Anarchists agree that one cannot undermine authority on an empty stomach.