When it was time to wean Rachael from the liquid deliciousness that is Similac Soy Formula, Jeff and I decided to do strictly organic milk. We had heard enough bad reports about everything from cancer to girls starting their periods at age nine to be motivated to pay the extra $2.50 per gallon. We also didn’t want to have to explain the workings of maxi-pads to our kindergartener.
The first hurdle was finding a place to buy organic milk. Most average grocery stores carry milk void of the cancer-causing hormone they inject into cows, but we wanted to make sure we were getting the real deal. I’ll take any risk imaginable with my own life, but my kid is another story. The bulk grocery stores had organic milk, but you literally have to buy an entire utter’s worth, and since both Jeff and I are lactose intolerant, there was no way Rachael was going to plow through two gallons on her own before the expiration date. We settled on purchasing our organic milk from a natural food store, namely the PCC Natural Market in Seward Park. PCC is a great chain of modest stores with knowledgeable employees. I go to the Seward Park store, because I work in that area, and it’s convenient.
When we heard about a new natural food ultimate supermarket opening in Bellevue, Jeff insisted we check it out and I didn’t argue although I was a little apprehensive. Bellevue is the Beverly Hills of the Seattle area. All of the richest people in the Puget Sound live in a special area of Bellevue called Medina. Kurt Cobain killed himself in Medina, so that should tell you something. To date, the only excellent things to ever come from Bellevue have been a terrific dog park, the BurgerMaster off of Northup Way, and Queensryche.
We drove up to Whole Foods ready for our natural food shopping adventure, and stood in awe at the size of the store. It was like five PCC Markets in one, and upon entering we found out how such a large facility could exist. Can you say $6.99 a pound for organic cherries, and during peak season, nonetheless! There were aisles and aisles of all things natural from sodas to household cleaners to a lady hocking her own brand of meal replacement bars where the main ingredient was figs. The organic fruit and vegetables were placed side-by-side with its pesticide-ridden, non-organic twin, which seemed to reek of hypocrisy. If I wanted chemicalized eggplant, then I wouldn’t be at a natural food store.
The dairy section was quite impressive with several varieties of organic milk; some of them weren’t even pasteurized. We chose our moo juice, and proceeded to grab a few more things. However, the experience seemed a little empty. When one enters a PCC, although there is less of a selection, the space is smaller, and the shelves are more crowded, there is an honesty to those who shop there. They truly want to eat healthier food and feed their families a meal that won’t lead to the ingestion of cancer agents. The PCC shoppers are the ones who sign the Green Party petitions, and would consider attending a demonstration to lobby for stricter environmental standards.
I got a much different vibe at Whole Foods. Most of the cars in the Whole Foods lot were upscale, and I counted at least 15 SUVs, two of which were Hummers. Note to Whole Foods shoppers: Buying Earth-friendly dish detergent doesn’t mean shit when you drive a Hummer (the worst environmental offender since the ’67 Cadillac). Like everything in Bellevue, the gesture of eating healthy seemed to be based less on wanting to actually eat healthy, and more on the fact that eating organic was now in vogue. I could see some Bellevue suburb mom, the kind that has a nanny and goes to the spa all day, yet still bitches about the kids, hosting a dinner party and bragging about how all the veggies were organic. The Whole Foods shoppers would be unlikely to sign a Green Party petition, and given their district voting record, elected the assholes that are fucking up the environment in the first place.
Needless to say, it was our first and last trip to Whole Foods. I prefer shopping someplace that is as honest as I am. A store where I can ask the clerk something simple like “what tea do you recommend for enhancing relaxation” and the answer would amount to a collegiate lesson on tea, its origins, relaxation techniques, and possibly a simple Yoga pose demonstration. Tomorrow I’ll make another trip to PCC, the one in Seward Park, to pick up my baby’s organic milk, and yes, Mr. Green Party member; I will sign your petition.
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