Aldis, Ma, and Canned Goods

I first remember hearing about Aldis (yes- the real name is Aldi, but somehow people add the "s," and I'm not the only one) from Ma when I was little. Aldis was the place where Ma went to get cheap canned goods. We had to bring a quarter for the carts and also we had to go during the daylight, because they were in the "not so good" neighborhoods of Indianapolis. Looking back, this was code for poor and probably black neighborhoods.

Ma would stock up on things like canned corn, canned green beans, and maybe some other things that come in a jar. As a kid, I didn't understand how we'd put in a quarter for the cart, and then be able to get it back at the end. This was not the culture at the "other" grocery stores - like Kroger or Marsh. I don't remember bringing our own bags, so we probably used one of their cardboard boxes or maybe sucked it up and bought the 10 cent bag.

Now in my adult life, Aldis is a regular trip for me (between also Trader Joe's and a Morse Market). I smile when I see the German phrases on the frozen food cabinet, "Ziehen, sich an" or "Druecken." I wonder if the other customers know of the German heritage of Aldis? You just don't see a lot of German now in Chicago. (I was a German major in college and had studied German since 6th grade - so I have a fondness toward the culture and language.)

Today, I went to Aldis because we were drastically low on toilet paper, and I also wanted to get some chocolate and candy for Christmas. It was a busy Sunday afternoon. Nearly all the carts were gone, but I got lucky and had one. I spent more than I had expected - 100% maple syrup, three packages of TP, mini-chocolate bars, almond milk, and Christmas candy. It adds up fast.

I think of Ma and wonder if she's smiling down from me. Knowing that she had introduced me to Aldis way back when. And now what might have been the audience for lower socio-economic class, one finds college kids and the middle class shopping along next to each other. One sees familiar faces and new faces (you can tell, because they didn't bring their own bags nor a quarter).

I love you, Ma for so many reasons. And just one of them was that you took me to Aldis.