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Grocery shopping is fun again. The unpleasant memories of dressing like a crime scene investigator just to enter a store have faded, and the shelves are once more packed with choices.

I should say the fresh produce section is my favorite because that is where the healthy food lives. Of course, it can only make me healthier if I actually eat it.

The Baking Needs aisle is far more tempting. Every shelf seems to promise a future cake, pie or dessert. A birthday cake for a grandchild? No problem. A treat for the next ladies’ group? Easy. Best of all, imagining those desserts is calorie-free.

Even the nearby gadget wall is entertaining. Who knew muffins needed to come in so many sizes?

The birthday supplies offer their own amusements. One year, I bought candles that refused to blow out for my husband’s cake. Another time, I found a musical candle holder for a grandchild’s birthday. The real challenge came after the joke wore thin and the music would not stop. My granddaughter finally put it on the back step, where it could sing “Happy Birthday” to the dog.

The international foods aisle provides another kind of escape. Browsing sauces, noodles and other specialties feels a little like visiting Mexico, India or China without buying a plane ticket.

Is that jar of chicken tikka sauce authentic? I have never been to India, so it will have to satisfy me until I get there. And watching Chinese noodles expand wildly in a cooking pot feels like a magic trick.

Over the years, I may have bought more gadgets at grocery stores than at Walmart. My discoveries have included elastic bowl covers that resemble tiny shower caps, a tool for opening stubborn jars and a press that stamps smiley faces onto slices of bread.

I recently spotted an avocado tool designed to cut, pit and slice the fruit. It looked intriguing, with one minor drawback: I do not eat avocados.

By the end of a typical shopping trip, I stagger home with twice as much as I intended to buy. Some exotic purchases then linger on my shelves as their “best by” dates creep closer, giving my children something new to fuss about when they visit.