Austin is the home of Whole Foods, if you know anything about Austin, that shouldn�t surprise you. It started here in a small store on Lamar blvd and the flagship store has seen several iterations since. While I was away from TX, they built and moved into the largest WF space in the world (80,000 sq ft). Like Donald trump would say, �It�s huge and luxurious�. The parking sucks�but it�s �Huge and Luxurious�, so that somehow makes up for it. My friends and I affectionately refer to whole foods as �Whole Paychecks� , Because that�s about what you�ll spend shopping there. I guess wheat germ and spelt just beg for a higher sticker price.
Whole foods is really good for a lot of things, but especially good for three things.
1. If you feel at home among WASPY soccer parents pushing $1000.00 baby strollers then visit Whole foods. They are everywhere. Moms in velour track suits, dad�s suffering in silent desperation. It�s the end of a marriage waiting to happen and you can have a front row seat.
2. Enjoy watching hippie counter-culture types buy socially aware food items even though they can�t afford it? Visit Whole foods. There are aisles and aisles of organic, free range, and other non-conflict food items priced above and beyond what�s acceptable and it seems like the only people buying them are people who wear tattered clothes don�t bathe daily?!
3. Need motivation to go to the gym? Shopping at whole foods you often feel like the ugliest, most out-of-shape, un-healthy person that ever walked the earth. Time spent among the other Whole foods shoppers (with exception of those described in #2) will have you re thinking your position on Yoga and Pilates.
I must say, it is nice to shop among people who actually put items back where they originally found them and clean up their own messes on Aisle 4. If you�re hungry and a little low on cash, you can peruse the free samples and almost enjoy a 4 course meal with wine and desert without feeling bad about it.. Most importantly, Whole Foods is a very socially aware organization that does give back to the world community in many ways. That seems like the honorable thing to do with their 150% markup
2 comments:
A long way from Winn-Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, and Food Lion. But they, and Harris-Teeter and an occassional foray to Fresh Mart filled your plate and satisfied your palate for many, many years. Still meets our simple gastromic needs. Taught you not to be a picky eater.
Just a reminder of your roots.
The Wholefoods by my house I drive past it and head to Trader Joes. I just can not see myself paying the high prices at WF. I do go to the Wholefoods in DC because of their wine tasting and #3. It is filled with healthy, well developed gays and the wine easys everyone to start conversation.
Forbes did an awesome article a couple of months back on WF, comparing it to porn.
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