I suffer from a serious addiction. Alright, so maybe it’s not that serious, but it’s an addiction nonetheless. I am completely and utterly reliant on Whole Foods Market. I have no idea what I would do without it. The sad truth is (and I am not even kidding in the least): a huge part of deciding to buy the condo that I currently own was its proximity to Whole Foods. Literally, it’s two minutes down the street. Close enough that I can go twice a day (and sometimes I do) and not feel bad about it. Even better — it’s on my way home from the office, so I can stop and pick up something for dinner on those lazy non-cooking nights.
I’ve talked before about why I love Whole Foods so much. The meat selection is outstanding, there is always fresh produce, exotic mushrooms, and an insane cheese department. For me, though, it’s the small value-added things that really drive me back. I’m not averse to taking shortcuts in cooking. I’m certainly no Sandra Lee, thank god, but who can argue with a nice pre-chopped package of broccoli? It’s fresh, washed, and ready to go. It may be a small thing, but I appreciate having some of the work done for me, and if I can avoid taking out a cutting board and knife (two things I would then have to clean), all the better. I’m also a big fan of the stir-fry packs, which combine multiple fresh chopped veggies. When you’re cooking for one, it’s nice to be able to get a variety of vegetables without having to buy a huge amount of them.
I find myself stopping in at my Whole Food 3-4 times per week. I have a clinical inability to plan meals ahead of time. Luckily, I can pop in after a long day and hit the salad bar, or buy some other delicious (and all-natural, which is always nice to know) prepared food. Of course, it doesn’t really help my cooking inspiration. In fact, I’ve found myself stopping so often to pick something up recently, that I can really commiserate with Molly.
Now the downside. Yes, Whole Foods is expensive. They can try to convince you otherwise all they want, but the fact is that you pay top dollar for top quality food. Being a complete food snob, I’m willing to do this. I have my priorities straight. I may shiver in my living room during the winter, setting my heat to 60, but I don’t think twice about buying 20.00 dollar per pound beef or 10.00 packs of sushi.
Recently most of my trips have resulted in the purchase of a blob of pizza dough (available in three flavors: white, wheat, and the quite excellent multigrain). Whole Foods makes it so easy with fresh packed tubs of shredded mozzarella and pizza sauce right there on the shelves. All I have to do is grab some toppings from the produce section or from the selection of pepperonis and sausages and I have a super easy (and delicious) meal. With the addition of my brand new pizza pan, I just can’t stop making pizzas.
And don’t get me started on the bakery. They have fantastic chocolate chip cookies and equally life-changing oatmeal raisin. Oh, and the pre-made burgers… bacon and cheddar built right into the patty. It’s genius. Oh, Oh, Oh! I can’t forget to mention the house-made roast beef in the deli, or the selection of delicious soups, or the… well, you get the picture.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Jun 11, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
When I lived in New York, I never lived in a good enough neighborhood to be near a Whole Foods– the closest I ever got to a real supermarket was PathMark, which is horrendous. Now that I’m in Northern Virginia, we still aren’t close to any Whole Foods,but we do have a Wegmans, and oh my goodness. It’s got everything that Whole Foods has, but it’s pretty reasonably priced. I’m totally and completely in love. Plus we’re right across the street from a Harris Teeter, which is pretty nice as well.
My brother was living in NJ for a while and swears by Wegmans. He says it’s even better than Whole Foods. I’m a little skeptical…
They’re putting a Wegman’s in right down the street from us by fall 2010… in other words, forever from now….