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A quick note: Food, prices and the times

 

I haven’t followed the Consumer Price Index that closely in the past year or so to glean any trend from those statistics.

But in Seattle, I have gone shopping for staples and dined at a few Chinese restaurants because my family and I have been busy.

It might be us. But it seems like the economy is slowly changing what we are paying for at some restaurants and the portions. 

At Tea Garden Seafood Restaurant, one of our favorite places in Seattle for dim sum, we noticed that the portions were, well, smaller.

The steamed shrimp balls weren’t as round or as large as before. The steamed pork dish also seemed to have gone on, well, a diet. 

The amount of sticky rice in one dish appeared to be cut in half.

Tea Garden’s food is still delicious. But was our memory playing tricks on us?

As I was paying the bill, I told the cashier, a young woman, that it looked like the portions had shrunk.

Was that the case?

Yes, she said, the pieces in a dim sum dish were smaller. But the restaurant added another shrimp ball or another piece to the overall serving.

So, I asked why the restaurant changed.

Her answer: There’s a new chef.

She didn’t seem too happy to hear my questions. Still, the price for five dim dishes came out to $14.85.

Call it the tight economy, fewer customers and people searching for good deals.

Call it the possibility of more expensive wholesale prices for staples, such as meat, flour and seafood.

Call it more expensive fixed costs, such as rent or electricity.

Or call it the rise of a new American price during these economic times.

Who knows?

But it seems that some Chinese restaurants – that once offered highly-competitive prices for reliably-delicious food – are feeling the pinch of the worst economic turmoil in the United States in the past half century.

The catch: If there are members of a group that take note about the taste, quality, portions and styles of Chinese food, it’s, well, ethnic Chinese.

As well as anyone who likes the flavors and variety of a cuisine that enjoys a history that is thousands of years.

After our dim sum meal, my family and I drove to Costco in South Seattle to buy some staples.

No big deal. We do that weekly.

As I was checking out, I asked the clerk, a young man, why the coffee grinders – for when you buy roasted whole beans – are no longer near the roaster and bulk coffee shopping area.

They sit in an area after you’ve paid the cashier.

I’ve noticed that before. On this trip, I felt like asking.

The cashier’s answer: As the economy was getting worse, Costco employees noticed that some customers were grinding coffee beans from two bags and trying to load everything into one bag.

You can call it what you want.

It is possible that both clerks gave incorrect information. In this case, I’m presuming that they’re telling the truth.

I’ve always believed that having positive karma is a good thing.

I also recognize that people enjoy earning enough money to cover their bills, feed their families and have some greenbacks to save.

One good thing about our Costco shopping trip: The 25-pound sack of rice that we bought was priced just right – at $14.49 before taxes.

Later, when we went to a Chinese grocery store, I spotted a 20-pound sack of rice that was selling for $18.

In April 2008, the world was reacting to a rice shortage crisis and prices shot up.

I’ve never figured out how companies come up with the exact pricing of rice.

But I was happy to throw that bag of SUPER lucky ELEPHANT Jasmine White Naturally Scented Rice from Thailand – the staple we purchased for $14.49 - into the back of our car.

I forgot to say one thing when I originally posted this entry: I have greater appreciation for those early cash-flowing days, especially in Silicon Valley, during the late mid- to late-1990s.

That’s when I heard stories about venture capitalists and businesspeople tossing out $100 for a bottle of wine for lunch.

Or journalists would go over to a Mercedes Benz dealer and note the ridiculously high amount of cars that were selling each week to people who sold their business plans or were basking in the technological revolution.

Note that I like the cash-flowing part of the story.

Don’t spend too much time dwelling on the other half - how the bubble popped a few years later.