When we bought our house, our real estate agent did not inform us, among other things, that there is a nearby express bus to San Francisco. He did also not mention, that there are so many playgrounds arounds, although we were looking for a house with a baby!
But he did tell us that we would be able to walk to Whole Foods. We would be able to live in a more European way and shop every day or two, rather than going to Walmart or Costco and stocking up for two weeks.
Whole Foods is a local health oriented food store chain. It has the reputation of being more exclusive, even more snobbish. There is a vast selection of wines, cheeses, cosmetics, chocolates, clothes and gagdets for yoga. I only wish I knew better how to cook, so I could use some of the unique products like green cauliflower.
All products are natural, of better quality, and of course more expensive! I personally don’t see any big differences in food taste. Fish from the less expensive Trader Joes tastes just as good to me.
But I admit that the baked, ready to be eaten chicken saved the day more than once. Whole Foods also has a very good bakery, stocked with Whole Food breads as well as that from local bakeries. If you want to buy bread in the US, this is the place. You can also ask for your loaf to be sliced, and it is never a problem. If you are planning a party, they also have delicious cakes, and they’ll decorate the top for free. How about a Chocolate Eruption cake?
During the day, I often saw people serving themselves from the hot and cold food bar, though I rarely come here for lunch. Eating out of a paper box, for which I would have to pay about $10, does not suit my personal taste. It’s just like drinking coffee at the grocery store!
Whole foods has a huge selection. I even found Farmer’s Cheese, which my Mom used recently for cooking pierogi. Each Whole Foods, like each Starbucks, is different. I even noticed they have own Instagram profiles!
Right next to our Whole Foods store is the Dollar Store, where everything costs a dollar. To me, this is America – full of contrasts and social and economic inequalities. In one parking lot, I see fancy cars. Someone departs with a nut milk for 10$, lobster tail, or almond cookies. Some recharge their electric cars at the provided charging stations. At the other parking lot, I see customers getting essentials from the Dollar Store, while homeless people walk aimlessly, with market baskets load with all of their belongings.
I’m not saying that Whole Foods turns a blind eye to the problems of the community. On the contrary, Whole Foods is sensitive to social injustice. Once I saw bracelets supporting the community development in Kenya. Today I could have a bought a recyclable bag. The money would have been transferred to local children sports organizations.
p.s. Stay tuned for the next post. I will be writing about the Berkeley Architectural House Tour, which we had pleasure to explore with my Mom.
