[throwup238]

I'm in Southern California and do most of my day-to-day shopping at Trader Joes and even I agree. Even with a diet that is really heavy on the expensive stuff like steak and avocados.

The most expensive beef I buy is prime top sirloin steaks at costco for $9-10/lb and ribeye roasts (that I cut up into steaks) at the local halaal market are $8/lb or less. Tenderloins for kebabs and filet mignon is $6-8/lb at Ranch 99 or Shun Fat. The most expensive chicken I get is Costco tenderloins for chicken tenders that sometimes rise to $7/lb but otherwise chicken breast is $3.5/lb or less. The oxtails and neckbone for good beef stock are more expensive than most of the meat I usually eat!

I suspect I'm just really privileged and don't know the meaning of a food desert. The number of ethnic grocery stores here in SoCal guarantees that it's easy to find a cheap source for every ingredient imaginable. The key is to shop there and not at the big names like Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, etc.