I detest most things mega-size and that includes mega supermarkets, stores  and malls. I’m not convinced mega-stores and mega-malls are the answers to ensuring we all get that multitude of choices and overwhelmed feelings. It’s rather embarrassing. Truly. In this age of online shopping, shopping is no longer a fun excursion. I like browsing through items I can actually contemplate, touch and/or “try on.” It’s no fun sitting in front of a monitor and scrolling through choices. I want to touch and feel and if it’s furniture, sit on it. I don’t want to contemplate on-screen to decide if the item may be what I want and upon delivery, find that it’s not at all what I imagined. Do you realize how traumatic and eventful returning an item can be—especially something bought online?

It doesn’t help when mega-stores are organized exactly the same way as their other mega-stores. They are still too big with too many choices. I like my familiar brands. I like quality workmanship in my furniture and clothing;  goods made by craftsmen who take pride and care in their finished product. I like my smaller stores and boutiques whose brands reflect this. I don’t like mega-stores that brings in goods produced by “cookie-cutter” machines, robots and/or overseas cheap labour. Clothing produced in quality rarely survive a year of rough wear and numerous washes.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and dislike. Mega-sized cups of coffee are good–at least there is a choice with small, medium, large and extra-extra-large. Savouries and desserts are always fun to “super-size.”  Warm from the oven, with the savoury filling tucked inside the flaky pastry, mega-size sausage rolls are wonderful to share or not. Jumbo-size dark chocolate fudge brownies are perfect to share with a good buddy. Dinner-plate size, “Good morning, Muffins” are healthy mega-size muffins made with grated carrots, flaky coconut, walnuts, plump raisins, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, orange essence and whatever else the bakery had available—are perfect to share with that special someone over a decadent mega-size cup of caffeine.  So far, I haven’t encountered any super-size doughnuts but am diligently on the look-out for them.

However, even when its food-related, big is not necessarily better. Small bakeries with dedicated bakers who make their pastries, savouries and breads from scratch and in small batches–never from any commercial mix–are the absolute best.  Fortunately, I live in an area where small coffee-bars proliferate and small bakeries are tucked along my walking route. Life is tough, but I am tougher–I can survive the mega-crisis, especially when it’s food related. . . .