But I also have some negative feelings about Whole Foods. For one, they represent what is often a huge criticism of things like the slow-food movement, which is that they are elitist. Now, obviously their PR folks would disagree with that statement, but when was the last time you saw a Whole Foods in an area that wasn't wealthy? Certainly they are not paving the way into the "food deserts" where large segments of the population (who are typically poor) don't have ready and easy access to fresh foods. And it's understandable why Whole Foods isn't there -- it's expensive. There's a reason that the Whole Foods in Durham can be found literally adjacent to the Duke campus.
My other negative feeling toward Whole Foods is that I think customers are sold an ideal that isn't necessarily true. This is mostly through the use of terms like "Organic" and "Free Range." Research into what "free range" means will quickly lead you to the discovery that it means almost nothing. Similarly deceptive is the term organic. Although the use of the term organic is a really complex issue and I won't go into a diatribe about how the food industry has successfully co-opted that term to profit (hello? Wal-mart sells organic products), needless to say, when you start doing things on large scale, which any national market like Whole Foods is forced to do, then organic farming can be just as destructive -- especially to the environment and soil -- as traditional farming. And so I think people often are lured into Whole Foods thinking they are doing their part to save the planet and buy chickens that led happy lives outdoors, when that's really not the whole story. But there are plenty of books out there where you can read more about this.
This all brings me to last night. I had dinner at... you guessed it! Whole Foods. Choosing what to eat in their giant food area is sort of like Sophie's choice -- there are so many good options, whatever I don't choose, I'll always think fondly back on and wonder what my meal would have been like if I'd eaten that instead. But last night, I went with BBQ. I have to say, I'm a sucker for any sort of BBQ and so I fell to temptation and got some of that, along with sweet potatoes, greens, and a cajun corn something or other.
All of it was quite good. Of course, we're in North Carolina so I certainly can't make the statement that this is as good as some of my favorite local BBQ joints. But if I remove that comparison, it was enjoyable. The sweet potatoes had a good amount of skin left in, which is something I typically enjoy, and they had dried cranberries. That was an interesting choice and made them unique and gave an interesting texture and flavor to them. I don't know if I'd ever do that myself, but I could see how some would really go for it. The greens were good, though not quite as tender as I like, and the corn was delicious. Similarly delicious was the BBQ. I think a lot of people mind find it a little too sweet, but I will almost never make that complaint about something!
And so, like many things in life, perhaps the ideal choice doesn't exist. Perhaps it's a fantasy to think that we could all go to local markets, buy food that is delicious, fresh, and sustainable, and still have money left in our pockets. Perhaps the challenges we face in our country related to food are too great to overcome. But I have faith we can figure this out. Whole Foods may not be the final answer we're looking for, but they certainly are pushing us toward the solution.
