Roche Bros.

Not skinned armadillo Roche Bros., which clearly has its thumb on the gastronomic pulse of the region, is offering Boneless Fresh Turducken Breast this Christmas season. $48.93 gets you a seven-pound bundle of chicken breast embraced by duck breast lovingly cradled in turkey breast.

Thanks to Brad Moore for making us wonder if Roche Bros. is a great store or the greatest store.

It was so crowded at the Roche Bros. in West Roxbury this morning that some people just gave up trying to find a parking space and fled to the Shaw's down the road on Spring Street - and even there parking was tight (God, people were parking as far away as the Finagle-a-Bagel).

"I made three loops around the parking lot before I gave up," one refugee exclaimed in the Shaw's check-out line.

In addition to the usual French Toast fixins, people at both stores seemed to be stocking up on paper towels - shoppers were emerging from both locations with those giant packages filled with enough towels to normally last a month or so.

Matt O'Malley reports that with some orange-smoothie powder ($1 at Roche Bros.), some oranges and a blender, you can re-create the Orange Julius drinks of your youth:

... Ambrosia!

The next day I went back to Rochies and bought 5 more packets (there are plenty more in the produce section on a rack across from the pre-made salads, go buy one for yourself -- they also have banana smoothie mix). I've treated myself to one every other day.

It was only supposed to be a joke when I proposed aisle reports on the threes at Roche Bros.

Steve Garfield, however, is bringing us a step closer to that useful service: He took a Panasonic camera, mounted it on a shopping cart and took it for a spin down the Roche Bros. cookie aisle. Yes, Shoppingcartcam! Sadly, it appears the video ends rather suddenly when the cart crashes into the milk shelves.