So I ate this food with my mouth the other day and hey listen to this:

[Maaik]

Yet another thing about my job that is awesome: we have some sort of deal worked out with Arden's Garden where in exchange for some minimal number of on-air mentions per month or week--I'm not sure, I know it's not very often--they send us a couple crates of juices and smoothies every other week.

I think Arden's Garden is an Atlanta thing, so I'm not sure how far reaching they are, but I'm drinking the best orange juice I've ever tasted right now.  Side of the bottle says: "We squeezed over 2 pounds of fresh oranges into this bottle."  Right below that, the ingredients list:

Fresh Oranges.

None of their stuff undergoes any kind of pasteurization process, so it's not safe for little kids or people with weak immune systems, but man is it ever tasty!

Apart from orange juice, they also do blends of stuff.  I had this one yesterday called "Sunrise" which had like bananas and strawberries and other stuff in it and it was all thick and sweet and good.  They also make carrot juice, which is disgusting and no one drinks it so the break room fridge has a steadily growing collection of bottles of the stuff.

[Thermofusion]

Ooof. Much like all of the prepared food at Whole Foods, the sushi looks infinitely better than it tastes.

Actually, I've never had remotely edible grocery store sushi, multigrain or not.

You couldn't pay me to eat sushi from a grocery store, especially Whole Foods (who're easily the lowest common denominator in the organic 'n' natural food bizness). 

[peacocks]

what, would you say, is the highest? 

I've only been to whole foods once and I was only a little disappointed.  Mostly because one ounce of wheat grass was 2.50 WTF and their felafel was felawful, but they had good cookies.  Also I can never tell if sushi is bad unless it is really really bad, like, time to throw away bad.

[Thermofusion]

Where I live, we have an excellent, incredibly well-run food co-op/supermarket called Tidal Creek.  As far as national chains go, Fresh Market is the main player in town and while they're a bit smaller than Whole Foods, I think the quality (of their fresh veggies in particular) is much better. 

My advice would be to look into local co-ops first.  Waaaay cheaper than even the best of the national natural foods supermarkets, much fresher and chances are that you'd be supporting your local growers more directly by shopping there.  Everyone wins!

[heather marie]

Where I live, we have an excellent, incredibly well-run food co-op/supermarket called Tidal Creek.  As far as national chains go, Fresh Market is the main player in town and while they're a bit smaller than Whole Foods, I think the quality (of their fresh veggies in particular) is much better. 

My advice would be to look into local co-ops first.  Waaaay cheaper than even the best of the national natural foods supermarkets, much fresher and chances are that you'd be supporting your local growers more directly by shopping there.  Everyone wins!

HAHA Florida and co-ops? Yeah, no way.

Sadly when I move back to Florida, I'll probably have to do a good chunk of my shopping at Whole Foods solely for their bulk bins & spices. The only things I ever get from there are: bulk stuff (nutritional yeast, bulk quinoa, flours, sugars, TVP), tofu/tempeh, and canned beans/tomatoes (their 365 Organic brand is priced fairly well) but that's also like 70% of what I eat.

[peacocks]

In Fort Myers the big natural foods store is Ada's and I work in the deli there.  It's pretty awesome and they have an entire room for bulks but they are trying really hard to turn into a huge chain so that kind of sucks.  They cater more to the over 60 diabetic which is a good thing because that is the main demographic down here.

And yeah there aren't many co-ops in Florida but the central west coast like St. Pete/Tampa/Sarasota have at least a couple places where you pay a certain sum a month and a bag of local, seasonal organic produce is delivered to you once a week or month.  I don't know about the other bigger college towns.  We do have a pretty big farmers market in downtown FM which is this morning (though a lot of it is still imported)... so bye, I suppose!

[Thermofusion]

http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm#Florida

Any of those near you guys?  That list probably isn't comprehensive, but whatev.

[peacocks]

oh shiz!  Right in the midst of Fort Myers, I had no idea!  Shame on me!

[heather marie]

Ada's is awesome! I only went there once when andronicus still lived in Ft. Myers but I wish we had one in Orlando. I also wish I could get a CSA near my parents house but the closest farm is a little over an hour away.

[peacocks]

True that. 

[heather marie]

I can't remember if Chamberlin's has bulk bins or not? Basically bulk bins rule my life. Plus, I really love grocery shopping.

[Thermofusion]

Grocery shopping with other people, or in a group, or in the middle of the night when the store is totally deserted = awesome

Grocery shopping by yourself, dodging frat boys, oblivious idiots who block the entire aisle with their shopping carts, soccer moms and their demonspawn, etc., when you just want to get the eff outta there = last circle of hell

[heather marie]

Grocery shopping with other people, or in a group, or in the middle of the night when the store is totally deserted = awesome

Grocery shopping by yourself, dodging frat boys, oblivious idiots who block the entire aisle with their shopping carts, soccer moms and their demonspawn, etc., when you just want to get the eff outta there = last circle of hell

I try to shop at random hours to avoid those people. The other day Richard and I were at the new grocery store in our 'hood and there was the most obnoxious lady ever, arguing with the cashier over like a 20 cent difference in the sign and then buying 900 bottles of sparkling mineral water and then throwing her cash on the conveyor belt. If there's anything that ruins shopping for me, it's douchetards, let me tell you. Also I was at the health food store and watched a woman blow nearly $100 on bottled water and like, organic cheese puffs. It was awesome.

[peacocks]

Organic cheese puffs.  LOL.  I have definitely been one to scarf down a few muffins with that excuse.

[Greg Nog]

Occasionally, I get in the mood to shop at Whole Foods during the post-work rush.  Every once in a while, it's kinda fun to get the insane overstimulation of dodging through packed aisles full of people searching for organic grass-fed rosemary flank stems.

[heather marie]

Occasionally, I get in the mood to shop at Whole Foods during the post-work rush.  Every once in a while, it's kinda fun to get the insane overstimulation of dodging through packed aisles full of people searching for organic grass-fed rosemary flank stems.

"I ONLY BUY CRUELTY-FREE BEEF!"

[Greg Nog]

In the rolling hills of West Dakota, we make a different kind of beef.  A special kind of beef.  We raise our cows on a diet of gleaming red apples and hot chocolate, then converse with them about Charles Dickens, their favorite author.  After decades of pleasant interactions, we shower them in warm wheatgrass, then gently masturbate our bovine friends until they expire.  And that's what makes Farmer Organic Farm's beef taste so durn good.

[heather marie]

oh, how I love Greg Nog. Let me count the ways...

[Maaik]

So is Dickens the favored author of all cows?  Or just those in particular?

[Thermofusion]

In the rolling hills of West Dakota, we make a different kind of beef.  A special kind of beef.  We raise our cows on a diet of gleaming red apples and hot chocolate, then converse with them about Charles Dickens, their favorite author.  After decades of pleasant interactions, we shower them in warm wheatgrass, then gently masturbate our bovine friends until they expire.  And that's what makes Farmer Organic Farm's beef taste so durn good.

I'm going to be laughing at this for days, and it's going to fuck up my social interactions. 

Thanks a lot, Greg

edit: Another question, though, after you engage Myke's Dickens query: if we are to accept that good cheese does, in fact, come from happy cows, then what of the cheese that comes from those who've had their cow-clits rubbed into terminal bliss?  Is this cheese's incomparable deliciousness potentially fatal for human consumption?  Is Farmer Organic Farm trying to kill people?

[ellaguru]

Ooof. Much like all of the prepared food at Whole Foods, the sushi looks infinitely better than it tastes.

Actually, I've never had remotely edible grocery store sushi, multigrain or not.

You couldn't pay me to eat sushi from a grocery store, especially Whole Foods (who're easily the lowest common denominator in the organic 'n' natural food bizness). 

Yeah, the whole point of sushi is to be fresh. If I didn't watch the guy make it, I don't want to eat it.

[Greg Nog]

Maaik, it's a scientific fact that all cows love the populist charm of Charles Dickens!

if we are to accept that good cheese does, in fact, come from happy cows, then what of the cheese that comes from those who've had their cow-clits rubbed into terminal bliss?

It's absolutely great.  This is why I myself will only break from veganism to eat dick-cheese.

[diesel_powered]

Also I was at the health food store and watched a woman blow nearly $100 on bottled water and like, organic cheese puffs. It was awesome.

I kind of feel that way about people who roll through the line and drop $300 at Trader Joe's. What the hell could they possibly be buying? I don't think I've ever had more than a $50 cart there.

[heather marie]

Also I was at the health food store and watched a woman blow nearly $100 on bottled water and like, organic cheese puffs. It was awesome.

I kind of feel that way about people who roll through the line and drop $300 at Trader Joe's. What the hell could they possibly be buying? I don't think I've ever had more than a $50 cart there.

It's easy to get carried away at Trader Joe's because everything they sell is AMAZING. I've spent about $80 there but that food lasted me more than an entire month, and a good chunk of it was essential pantry items (spices, baking needs, whatnot).

But fucking BOTTLED WATER, PEOPLE. Biggest waste of money ever. I highly doubt those people refill their bottles with water so yeah, makes me want to die. Also, Chicago now has a bottled water tax so that probably contributed a lot to it.
 

[elpollodiablo]

Trader Joe's blew my mind the few times I've seen fit to shop there, both in terms of their product selection and the sky-high prices. If I did my usual $100 grocery shopping trip there, I can easily see shelling out $250-300.