Sunday is always a good day for grocery shopping. On the list today was some stuff from Trader Joe’s and from Whole Foods. I love Trader Joe’s. The stores are cheerful places, both for shopping and for meeting people. I also like the philosophy of providing the average Joe and Joette with products a bit off the beaten track at very reasonable prices with an increasing emphasis on organic food. The true deciding factor – how can I not love shopping somewhere with palm trees in front of the door?
With Whole Foods I have a bit of a problem. Every time I step inside one of these places I have a flashback to John Brunner’s “The Sheep Look Up”. Those who know the book know what I mean; those who don’t should go out and get a copy. One of the things Mr. Brunner describes in his book is the chasm which (in the near future seen from the viewpoint of 1972) has emerged to separate the rich, healthy, and privileged from the poor, sick, and oppressed. Seen against that background the Whole Foods philosophy of providing everybody who has a lot of money to spend with food mostly uncontaminated is a bit – well, let’s put it like that – the near future is the present already.
So, why do I not stay away from their stores? They carry my favorite toothpaste and cheese. What can one do?