Grocery Tip-- Make friends with your butcher and fish monger

This is the number one tip for getting the best meat and seafood. These people know A LOT about the meat you eat. They can tell you what just came off the truck and what's been sitting in the case (this is beyond valuable with fish--if the fish has been in the case for over a day do not buy it, ever). The cut of meat in terms of beef, pork is also based on whatever they grab out of the case. Tell them what you are planning to do with the meat and they can help you get the right piece in terms of thickness, marbling, etc. They should also be able to tell you where the meat came from--the farm, the meat's previous state (frozen or non frozen). You can also learn a lot. I remember back in January commenting to my fish monger that the wild salmon tasted bland and her told me wild salmon can only be caught from early may to late June. The rest of the year it is frozen and this begins to affect the fish in winter months. As a result, I am passing on my absolute favorite meat until May (and there will be LOTS of recipes on salmon then). 

So how do you go about making friends with this person. Start off by asking them questions about what they think looks good. Ask them how they like to cook certain cuts. Listen and respect their opinion. They should know their meat. Learn their name and use it when you come back again. They will remember you.