Pursuant to yesterday

[owlectomy]

Novelist Amy Sohn says, of the Whole Foods that's coming to Park Slope, that "They want to replicate their sort of Mall of America experience in New York City, so they love that you can have a Whole Foods in Brooklyn."

Oh dear. I'm sorry that my wanting to eat vegetables is interfering with your gritty Brooklyn experience.

It's not that Whole Foods is above criticism, and certainly John Mackey is an asshat, but when your neighborhood grocery store is a wasteland of a single tiny not-so-fresh produce aisle... if you'd rather shop at WF, it's not because you're a spoiled yuppie.

That probably doesn't apply to most people in Park Slope, I admit.

Comments

[hebinekohime]

I'm torn between "at least it's a Whole Foods" and "fuck, it's a Whole Foods". I hate that they price-gouge and sell such expensive organic (and even expensive conventional) produce, when healthy produce should be available to every economic sector.

What I'd really like to see is massive government subsidizing of fruit and vegetable growers, the way that the monocrop and animal product industries are currently subsidized. The game was set up for a John Mackey and a Whole Foods; they're symptoms of economics more than they are the culprits.

[deborah]

*nod* I frequently acknowledge the geographical privilege inherent in my being able to boycott Whole Foods -- because I'm surrounded by affordable, fresh, often local organic and conventional produce.