Line #4 Main/ISOStandardUrbanGroceries


1	[[quoteright:288:[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krabs2.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:288:That milk had better come from sea cows.]]
3
4	->''"All grocery bags must contain at least one loaf of French bread."''
5	-->-- [[https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2002/4/hollywood-rule-book ''Hollywood Rule Book,'']] ''Vanity Fair''
6
7	If a character lives in TheCity and has just come home from shopping, they will inevitably be carrying a single brown paper bag from which protrudes a baguette (loaf of French bread) and the greens of a bunch of carrots or celery; neither of these will be separately wrapped or packaged. If the bag is emptied on-camera (perhaps in a MeetCute), there will also be a quart of milk and a dozen eggs. Optionally, orange juice and/or a cut of meat may be present.
8
9	Also, the astute shopper who purchases a pair of oranges is preparing to drop said sack or have it knocked out of their hands. (These will likewise not be prepackaged or in a produce bag.)
10
11	In Japanese media, naga-negi (a very large scallion resembling a leek) and/or daikon radishes (a large white, carrot-shaped tuber) are the typical stock groceries.
12
13	These items are typically chosen for the audience's sake. Despite the growing popularity of reusable grocery bags, the brown bag is universal in design and still recently used enough to communicate the character went for groceries. Also, note that many of the items listed have an oblong shape or are usually contained in rectangular containers; this lets them stick out noticeably from the top of the bag to be easily identified.
14
15	The trope name plays with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_Standardization International Organization for Standardization]]'s tendency to establish consistent standards. If a person in a movie is carrying a grocery bag filled with Twinkies, Mountain Dew, beer and pasteurized process sandwich spread, [[FoodAsCharacterization the audience will focus on that]]; ISO-Standard Urban Groceries, on the other hand, are generic, non-specific things that people would imagine everyone buys on a usual grocery trip, and thus merely communicate that's what the character has done.
16
17	Because commodity foodstuffs are often sold loose or unlabeled, this trope may have its origins in avoiding BrandX or ProductPlacement issues. Subtrope to StockFoodDepictions. See also BaguetteBeatdown. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant May or may not]] be related to VillainsOutShopping. Has nothing to do with [[Film/TronLegacy the other ISOs]].
18	----
19	!!Examples
20
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24	* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'': Linna is seen walking around with a bag with a baguette sticking out of it in one episode.
25	* A variation is observed in ''Manga/CellsAtWork'', a series that [[CastOfPersonifications personifies]] human cells as humans living in a big city. In this universe, Red Blood Cells [[ArtisticLicenseBiology also transport nutrients (which in real life is dissolved in blood, not carried by cells)]], which is represented by they occasionally [[{{courier}} carrying]] a food basket that without fail contains at least one baguette sandwich.
26	* Played with in the ''Manga/DNAngel'' anime. The main character's mother and their [[{{Meido}} Maid]] go shopping on market day and buy a veritable mountain of different goods on sale. When you see them carrying all the bags, there is at least one leek sticking up from every bag.
27	* In a Season 2 episode of ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'', Siesta is seen carrying a grocery bag with a baguette and, as seen when she drops it, an apple.
28	* In ''Anime/FZeroGPLegend'', Bart Lemming is seen, twice in the same episode, carrying a grocery bag with a baguette in it.
29	* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'': Rico carries one of these in the opening for the first season.
30	* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': On the cover of the first volume, Saitama is depicted in his superhero costume, carrying a bag of groceries with the standard protruding leek. The final shot of the anime's first opening uses a similar motif.
31	* Yuuki carries a bag with a baguette in the opening of the ''Manga/SilentMobius'' TV series.
32	* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': Amelia, while carrying a large cloth sack of food, (which has two loaves of french bread sticking out the top) tries to save Lina and Gourry from a bunch of bandits by attacking them from a high cliff. She crashes to the ground, which causes the food to fly out, including meat, more bread, and fruit.
33	* In episode 4 of ''Anime/SmilePrecure'', Nao is carrying three grocery bags, a leek protuding from one and a daikon radish from another, when she comes across the panicking Miyuki.
34	* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', Keith is carrying the usual "baguette and carrots" bag when [[MeetCute he runs into Cis]] in episode 15. There's also an apple in there, which he offers to her.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
38	* In ''Film/TheBestOffer'', the hero delivers two grocery bags to his love interst. We see a baguette sticking out from one of them.
39	* In the first ''Film/DeathWish'', this is one of the ways the police narrow the search for the vigilante: after a subway mugger is killed they find an abandoned bag of groceries on a seat on the train across from his body with a receipt from D'Agostinos in his neighborhood, in which they (correctly) figure the vigilante bought them at the store near his home.
40	* At the end of ''Film/TheDeparted'', Sullivan carries one of these bags into his apartment. [[spoiler: He gets shot by Dignam, and the groceries do end up all over the floor. The original script even called for the rat that comes out to start nibbling on a fallen bagel.]]
41	* Dana Barret's shopping in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'', although it also includes a bag of [[{{Foreshadowing}} Stay-Puft Marshmallows]].
42	* Seen played straight in ''Film/TheGodfather'', at least for the oranges part. Except in this case, while the Don is buying said oranges from the fruit vendor, a bunch of thugs show up and shoot him a few times, inevitably causing him to drop the oranges. This is a trope in itself; the producer used oranges to 'brighten up' otherwise grim scenes and dark sets -- therefore, you can find oranges in many scenes where someone dies. Which is also a bit of a GeniusBonus referencing the Mafia's original role running protection rackets on Sicilian orange-growers.
43	* Played with in ''Film/TheLostWeekend''. Don Birnam, a hopeless alcoholic, gets two bottles of rye with ten dollars he stole from his brother. But he doesn't want people in the neighborhood to think that he's going out buying liquor in the morning, so he buys a few pieces of fruit to put in the top of the bag to make it ''look'' like he just went out for groceries.
44	* ''Film/MadameRosa'': Maybe, if you actually live in France like Rosa does, it's OK to come home from the grocery with a paper bag that has a loaf of French bread sticking out.
45	* In ''Film/{{Madeline}}'', the shopping includes two baguettes, but instead of protruding from bags, two of the girls sword-fight with them.
46	* In ''WebVideo/MegaManEddieLebron'', Dr. Wily, before planning his revenge removes bran flakes and a roll of paper towels from a paper bag, sets them on his kitchen counter, and then sits down to think up his evil scheme...
47	* Exaggerated in ''Film/MichaelClayton'': Michael finds Arthur walking with a paper grocery bag filled with nothing BUT baguettes.
48	* ''Film/NightOfTheCoconut'' takes this to its logical extreme: Any time grocery bags are shown, the contain ONLY loaves of french bread.
49	* ''Film/TheReturnOfThePinkPanther'': A baguette is poking out of a bag of groceries brought home by Inspector Clouseau. When caught inspecting the front page of a neighbor's newspaper, he is whomped on the head with said bread.
50	* Seen in ''Film/RumbleInTheBronx''. The baguette is even wrapped and labeled as such.
51	* In ''Film/{{Taken}}'', Bryan uses one of these bags as camouflage to get into the Paris apartment. The only recognizable food item is not one but TWO baguettes; the greens look like a small ficus plant. (Evidently in France you need more than one baguette.)
52	** It should be noted that in France groceries are never packaged in a brown paper bag. But holding a plastic pouch high enough to conceal his face would not look very natural.
53	** Also in the same film, Jean-Claude also carries home a baguette for dinner.
54	* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze'': April O'Neil is seen with one with a visible baguette when arriving back to her apartment.
55	* ''Film/AThousandClowns'': Taken to the point of singularity, when Sandra and Murray are coming back home with the standard grocery bag with the standard loaf of French bread. They greet a neighbor, who ''also'' has the standard paper grocery bag, which ''also'' has the standard loaf of French bread.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
59	* ''Series/PerryMason'': In "The Case of the Silent Partner", Perry telephones a particularly grumpy Lieutenant Tragg just as he's leaving the office. And no wonder Tragg's grumpy! He had just gone shopping for groceries. Note the conspicuous loaf of Wonder Bread sticking out the top of the brown paper bag Tragg is carrying!
60	* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'':
61	** "[[Recap/CSINYS07E21 Life Sentence]]": Mac's old partner, William Hunt, goes after a perp they put away who's out of jail and up to his old tricks. He carries your standard-issue bag of groceries complete with baguette into an alley he knows the guy will be walking through. When the guy gets there, the bread, an orange, some paper towels, etc are scattered around and Hunt is nowhere to be seen. Hunt jumps out, beats the guy to a pulp, calmly gathers his groceries and walks away.
62	** Downplayed in "[[Recap/CSINYS08E16 Slainte]]." After having cancelled ''another'' dinner date, Mac tries to make things up to Christine by showing up at her restaurant with what appears to be a plain, medium-sized gift bag. Nothing is seen sticking out of it. She offers to fix him something to eat; he says he thought they'd fix something together. A minute later, they're in the kitchen and he's slicing up a small baguette which he uses to make brucshetta for her.
63	* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'': One episode mentions that every time Greg does the groceries he buys a baguette, even though no one eats it.
64	* Parodied in an episode of ''[[Series/DontTrustTheBInApartment23 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23]]'', when Chloe sets up a FunnyBackgroundEvent during a walking conversation with James by stealing a baguette from a passing shopper's bag.
65	* ''Series/{{Highlander}}'':
66	** Averted in "Deadly Medicine" -- Duncan was getting items for an Italian meal, so there were tomatoes, among other things. There was some bread, though, probably for garlic bread. It got knocked to the ground when Duncan was hit by the car.
67	** Played straight, however, in "For Evil's Sake": Duncan, temporarily living in Paris while Tessa curates an exhibit there, returns from grocery shopping with an inevitable baguette sticking out of his paper sack. (It all gets chucked at a [[EnemyMime murderous street mime]], but this time Duncan is able to retrieve his foodstuffs and leaves at the end of the scene with bag in hand, baguette and all.)
68	* Turns up in ''Series/{{Lovejoy}}'' tv series, the episode "The Axeman Cometh"; possibly the french loaf sticking out of the bag was to hammer home to the audience that the character holding it [[OohMeAccentsSlipping was meant]] to be French.
69	* In the ''Series/ModernFamily'' episode "Baby On Board," Haley comes home with a paper shopping bag full of groceries so she can cook a special dinner for the family. Guess what's in the bag.
70	* In ''Series/SpacePrecinct'', we see that three-eyed aliens in the future still fill their shopping bags with that mandatory baguette.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Music Videos]]
74	* Music/FooFighters: The video to "Big Me" opens with Music/DaveGrohl going into his apartment building with a bag like this when he discovers [[IdenticalStranger some strangers that look like him and group in his apartment]].
75	[[/folder]]
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77	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
78	* Creator/LouisCK must be aware of this trope. After being told by a driver he cut off to "Go suck a bag of dicks!", he proceeds to wonder what a bag of dicks would look like, and whether the dicks would stick out the top like baguettes.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:This Very Wiki]]
82	* The name of BreadEggsMilkSquick.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Video Games]]
86	* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' has the "shopping bag", a decorative item in the form of a paper shopping bag with a baguette and some produce sticking out.
87	* In ''Antique Road Trip: American Dreamin''' one of the hidden objects you can find in Christmas Alley: Helena, Montana is a bag of groceries with celery sticking out.
88	* In ''Bella Design'', housewife customers carry a bag of groceries including a baguette and something green and leafy.
89	* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'': Some of the anti-Resistance propaganda posters feature a woman dropping a standard bag of groceries.
90	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': Penelo features a fantasy version in [[spoiler:the finale.]]
91	* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': Nene carries the Japanese standard leek in one of her bags even during battle, for some reason. If uncapped twice, her groceries even upgrade to the western baguette!
92	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' has an occasional pedestrian wandering about carrying a paper bag of groceries. This contains a loaf of bread, a box of cereal, a half-gallon of milk, and some oranges. Unfortunately for VideogameCrueltyPotential, barging into them just causes them to drop the bag, intact, on the ground.
93	* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' with the item [[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Stale_baguette "Stale baguette."]] Eating one results in a minor [[GlobalCurrency Meat]] loss, since anybody with the aforementioned baguette is bound to get robbed in a dark alley shortly after purchase.
94	* In the "linked" ending of the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', Nayru is seen holding such a bag.
95	* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'': The launch trailer shows a woman dropping a bag of groceries as she flees from a robbery, spilling fruit, vegetables, and breakfast cereal everywhere. [[TrailersAlwaysLie This can never actually happen in-game, however.]]
96	* In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', anyone in the Beauty trainer class is depicted holding one of these in [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:VSBeauty.png their VS artwork.]] The baguette at least makes sense, as the game is set in the Pokemon version of France.
97	* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'': The brown paper bag Amy carries in the introductory cutscene to her story.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Webcomics]]
101	* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', a paper grocery bag with a baguette shows up in [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1097 this strip.]] In this case, the baguette is justified as the panel depicts something that happened in France.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Western Animation]]
105	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Clark Kent]] carries a few grocery bags [[ClarkKenting rather clumsily]] while accompanying Lois to her apartment. He even drops them as he opens the door to his own apartment next door, but as Lois leaves the scene, Clark immediately uses SuperSpeed to pick everything up. What he doesn't realize is that Bruce Wayne had just showed up and that his stunt just confirmed his true identity to the caped crusader.
106	-->'''Bruce:''' And they call me a split personality.
107	* ''WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace'': At the beginning of the episode "[[Recap/DennisTheMenace1986S1E3 The Life You Save]]", Margaret is seen carrying a brown paper grocery bag, and as a result, she can't see the runaway shopping cart heading towards her, meaning Dennis has to push her out of the way.
108	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': You will at least see Lois heading home with grocery bags like this such as the episode "Brian In Love" when she unloads the bags out of her car before being hose sprayed by Peter.
109	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Brown paper grocery bags with baguettes can be seen in the episode "A Rover Runs Through It".
110	** In Season 10 Episode 14, "Hank's Bully", Caleb's parents are seen holding grocery bags with a whopping FIVE baguettes sticking out of the top.
111	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' features maybe the best known aversion: A very smart little girl marches down the street, constantly reciting, "A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter..." all the way to the store. This line actually predates and goes beyond Sesame Street, the first recorded use was in a WesternAnimation/PorkyPig cartoon, and has been used many times since, including an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' where Johnny recites the mantra, then gets distracted, then returns to his task saying "Now back to getting momma a loaf of buttermilk."
112	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Mr. Krabs brings home such a bag in the episode "Wet Painters".
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Other]]
116	* Much of the pin-up work of Art Frahm concerns the unusual theme of women's panties dropping in a number of improbably contrived situations. Most of these occur, for some reason, in the vicinity of a Standard Urban Grocery bag, and, more specifically, in the vicinity of a Standard Urban Grocery Bag containing ''celery''. Lileks has [[http://www.lileks.com/institute/frahm/ more on the sinister connection]].
117	* The [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program_logo.svg/500px-Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program_logo.svg.png logo]] of the U.S. SNAP program (aka the Food Stamp Program) is a grocery bag that contains a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, a carton of eggs, an apple, and something that's green (possibly broccoli).
118	* The [[http://www.sainsburys.co.uk Sainsbury's]] Online Shopper logo is a plastic bag showing, among other indistinguishable packaging, a french loaf, a carton of orange juice, bananas and some kind of lettuce or fresh herbs.
119	* A commercial for a cable company had the cable installers getting quizzed on various things that happen in movies, including, "In a romantic comedy, a grocery bag will always contain..."
120	* The ''{{Website/CollegeHumor}}'' sketch "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3WVwy82UQQ 7-Way Meet Cute]]" -- "My bag of loose oranges and one French baguette!". Six of which appear out of nowhere.
121	* Played with in a window display of a Cincinnati department store (they had one display window facing onto an alley, which they usually used for displays with a sense of humor). A female mannequin, dressed only in a towel around her body and another around her head, had opened the door to find three potential mannequin suitors. The one wearing an elegant suit had a bag containing the requisite baguette, spaghetti (raw), and a bottle presumably of wine. The one dressed for watching a sporting event had potato chips, hot dogs, and beer. The one who looked like he had picked up random clothes off the floor had a bag of White Castle hamburgers.
122	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ISOStandardUrbanGroceries