As a member of the real world, the majority of my food comes
from a chain supermarket. Sure I could have made my inaugural post about the
best sushi in Rhode Island(it will probably be my second now), but in reality
most of the food I consume is purchased at the ‘mart. Because of this, as well
as the increasing schism between white and blue collar, there have really been
two distinct tiers of food shopping. There is your budget market and there is
Whole Foods. Where there was once a range of price tiers at various markets;
Whole Foods has become the monopoly of high value food in New England.
Sure you
could get all pedantic about the “multitude of options in specialty markets” or
the like in a given residential area, but lets face it, Whole Foods has bought
most of the great local chains that once dotted our fair state. Bread and
Circus has been dead for a decade, and Nature’s Harvest for two. This is sad
for me, because I honestly hate Whole Foods.
Whole Foods
is based out of Austin, so there is really nothing local about it. Nor is the
food restricted to an-anything-mile-radius to keep carbon footprint down. The
‘greenwashing’ and self-entitlement of its food are nearly as insufferable as
some of its self righteous patrons. Yesterday I watched a woman (illegally)
park her Escalade in a handicap spot so she could run in to buy some
sustainably farmed salmon. It’s not entirely Whole Foods’ fault either as we as
consumers continue to truly buy into the message that if you buy their
branding, you will be healthier and more earth conscious.
Happily
there are a few hold-outs peppered around the state that still offer fantastic
food without the snoodery. As a University of Rhode Island student living in
Narragansett during the school year I have come to know Belmont Market in
Wakefield. Sure Belmont has had to adopt some of the large chain’s conventions
(namely the labeling of food as organic) but it has also attempted to stay true
to it’s local roots.
East Side
Market on college hill is also a fantastic supermarket. What is more incredible
is that when Whole Foods built a franchise less than a quarter mile away, East
Side continued to thrive. The meat is local and the fish is (within reason)
wild caught. The staff is friendlier and unpretentious. The range of quality on
items is vaster than encompassed singularly by either Whole Foods or
Stop-and-Shop.
These local
markets are really the Goldilocks special of our local food landscape. While
they are neither the last word in pretension or value, places like Belmont and
East Side have flourished as stand alone pillars of the food community. They
are unubiqutious and uniquely Rhode Island
About Me/Blog Description: The About Me section provides a description of why you're writing this blog but it lacks information about who you are. Where's the Blog Description?
ReplyDeleteI don't think "unbiased" is the right word for what you're trying to get across. I know that your point is that your opinion isn't swayed by restaurant (or grocery) handholding, but that doesn't mean it's unbiased. In fact, it's pretty clear from your first post that you have some pretty strong opinions. I definitely recommend rephrasing that part.
First Post: I like the idea of starting the blog by keeping it real: Writing about where most of your food actually comes from! Some of the points you made went over my head, though. What is "greenwashing"? What's the problem with labeling food as organic? There's also some stuff that could have used elaboration. For example, how has Belmont stayed true to its local roots? Also, you never actually specify which of these markets actually gets most of your business. Maybe that's not important, but it's certainly something I wondered about.
Hey Michael! I love the title of your blog. It's very interesting and if I saw it while googling or something like that I'd definitely click to see your page. I think that your description is well written, but it's way too long. The way I saw it, the description should be a sort of "tagline" that's a little more detailed than the title but still short enough that people won't become disinterested and click away. I think you could maybe incorporate some of what you have there in your About Me section, which is really short! Your readers want to know more about you! As for your first post, I thought it was great. It really made me think about the way I shop for food and what buying at Whole Foods really means. I will definitely be checking out Belmont Market when I return in the fall. I also liked how you didn't hold back about your opinions or try to sugarcoat them. That's a great way of putting your voice into words on a screen, and will definitely gain you some followers who think like you do.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your first post. It was thorough, beefy, and concise. A nice little aside and introduction as well, which suited the "About Me" and blog description. I agree with the previous commentator who noted that "unbiased" isn't exactly a fair term when your opinion is what is going to govern the mood of each post. Alas, this blog is clear and good-looking and the posts are well written.
ReplyDelete