Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Food musings

Disclaimer: if you shop at Andronico's you might find this post a little bit offensive.


OK, so I honestly don't quite know why people shop at Andronico's. Or for fresh produce, anyways.

Monday I took a walk down to the Andronico's that's about 7 or 8 blocks from my house. I recently picked up the E Magazine book on Green Living [which is a superb overview of all sorts of green living issues], and when I got to the food section, I finally had to sit down and think, well, maybe it really IS time you learned more about the food that you eat. Not just preparing your own food and eating seasonally and locally, but about which foods are best eaten organic [because I cannot afford to eat everything organic, so choices must be made], etc.

And so because of this, I remembered the Andronico's near my place and thought I'd check it out, since none of my local grocery stores really carry much in the way of organic produce. Helpful hint: Look at the stickers that come on the produce. If the serial code starts with a 4, its conventionally grown. A 9 means organically grown; 8 means genetically modified. And I think a 3 means grown in a hothouse, but I haven't done much research on that one yet. See, this book is fantastic.

Ahem. Not only is their produce mostly conventionally grown [yeay checking serial codes on stickers], much of it is imported from overseas, AND the prices are ridiculously high. I don't understand. If I wanted that, I would just stick with the cheap Asian grocery stores around my apartment.

I personally don't see paying more for produce that is not local or organic ... essentially, just as bad for the earth and for you as what gets served up at Safeway, but at 3 times the price.

Too bad Trader Joe's is a busride and transfer away, whereas this is within walking distance. Still, I don't think I'm ever going back. Well, maybe there are some other products the store carries that would make it worthwhile to stop in occasionally, but just to pick that one thing up and then be on my way.


[The picture above, by the way, is produce from said local Asian grocery stores. I love this skirt. It is oh so patchworky and oh so flowy and oh so me. Everybody who has seen it has agreed. D found it one day and thrust it at me and said, Here, this looks like you. And even her sister B had to agree. Its kindof nice to have a distinctive style ... except that 'eclectic' is simultaneously so nondistinct that, well, I run into trouble sometimes. Even I surprise myself with what I am attracted to. Keeps life interesting.]

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