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Walmart vs. Whole Foods
(Plant Your Dream!)
A Tale of Two Strawberries, or Strawberry Fields forever! Chapter One in the "The Food from the Promised Land" Enchanted Garden Project and I am happy to serve. This Enchanted Garden Project is brought to you by Members and Friends of the Enchanted Garden Club who through their generous contributions make my work for you in the world possible. Your Enchanted Gardener Leslie
Date: 5/15/2006 11:01:42 AM ( 18 y ago)
The difference between MEGA
Walmart and MEGA Whole Foods
is that The Former is taking the world down,
and the Latter can take the World UP.
I have contributed less than $50.00
to Walmart.
I have contributed no less than $300.00 a month
in purchases during the last four years to Whole Foods.
I, like, many, are draw to this MEGA Corporate
Structure called Whole Foods Market.
I am so drawn that Dre one of the Hillcrest
"Front" Team Members who checks out,
said, "You are here more than I am," and I
work here. This week Cody, the sweet man
who works five days in meat, noted out he
had seen me three times that day.
It was after 8 PM on Mother's Day.
Lots of little kids were home maybe cudddling
with Moms, and other sons and daughters,
now grown up were paying respects in ways they knew.
I was down at Whole Foods Hillcrest,
711 University Avenue, Hillcrest, San Diego
doing my homework.
I was wallking the produce section with pen
and paper in hand. I wad deeply studying the prices
of things:
Granny Smith Apples.
Come from South America
$1.99
Pink Lady Applies
$1.99
Conventional
Washington
Red Grapefruit
Texas, USA
Conventional
$1.69
Conventional Navel
$1.49
Sign on the bananas:
"Due to excessive rain and flooding..
Whole Foods Market strives
to bring you the best quality prodcut
througout the year. Our efforts in this regard
are hampered due to inclement weather.
We regreat any inconvenience this may cause you."
Tomatoes Organically grown in Canada.
$3.99
Cucumbers
50 cents each
Conventional
I was watching these and writing them down,
while my mind was spinning.
"The Return of JR!" Joe the Farmer had told
me earlier in the day when I stopped back
at the Hillcrest Farmers' Market for a brief
checkin and a break from Whole Foods
down the street.
Joe was exhausted. It was after 1, closing
time at the market. There was still a lineup
of people wanting him to make them a bouquet.
He was red in the face, and my farming family
was underhanded even with Willie, Joe's girls
Adriana and Bee, Papa Joe, and Christina.
They could have used Samantha, Sylvia, and
Gil, but some body had to take the day off
to celebrate Mother's Day and not work
their butts off.
This local farmers life.
Have you a clue?
It is Sunday morning.
The sun over Escondido 40 miles north
in the country may not be up yet.
Papa Joe rolls out of bed. A Catholic
he likely gives a thought to God, but
still wonders if it is wise to counsel the
next generation of this family farmer
to stay in this very difficult business.
By the time, Papa Joe gets dressed,
the men are likely in the field picking through
the ripest, freshest, highly organically grown
strawberries. 11 boxes today are going
to feed mom's, and pops, sons and daughters,
little kids who shop at Whole Foods Hillcrest
who are likely still sound asleep.
By 9:30 AM when I arrive, there are two
large trucks at the Hillcrest Farmers' Market
that is other days of the week the DMV lot
on Normal Street off Washington.
I bring back 12 boxes from last week.
Berries all sold.
I was the "point" man for those berries,
as a youthful Andrew Rhodes says.
"I would like to be a go between the farmers
and the stores," he tells me, when he comes
in to visit.
I see that is what I have been doing these past
three weeks, about 30 hours worth on three Sundays,
throw in another 15 during the week for prep.
So why did I do this?
9:05 AM
To be continued...
Other Blogs
in this series:
Higher costs to Local Farmer:
The Greatest Food of All
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1591
Organic Conversion,
The Power in an Organic Strawberry
transformed Anthony Zolezzi's Life:
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1517
Strawberry Survey:
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1577
Herbicides on Strawberries:
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1585
Strawberries as Aprodisiacs:
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1589
Garden Magic!
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1587
The story starts here:
Religious Experience at Whole Foods Market:
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1558
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URL: http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=971214