A proposal was made Tuesday to replace the Sears at College Mall with a Whole Foods Market. I’d like to take this time to bow down to the grocery store gods.
Whole Foods is hands down my favorite supermarket. Although I sometimes question the prices and have trouble grasping why everything has to be organic, I love the overall experience of shopping at Whole Foods.
Though there are many diet tribes who cling to their kale and avocados in order to fulfill their daily green juice intake, Whole Foods could appeal to a far larger ?demographic in ?Bloomington.
This new proposal might sadden some, specifically fans of Bloomingfoods. But I’ve found Bloomingfoods is such a niche food store that it can’t appeal to college students wanting a ?one-and-done grocery trip.
Whenever I go to Bloomingfoods, I end up having to go to Target or Kroger to pick up regular, nonorganic (not expensive) milk and cereal that doesn’t have “flaxseed” in ?its title.
With a Whole Foods, we’d be able to have an enjoyable, relatively healthy food shopping experience without the hassle of traveling to ?multiple stores.
But I do have a few minor criticisms about Whole Foods.
First off, it sells “Chickenless Nuggets.” I only have one word in response to that product: Why?
Second, Whole Foods has a sort of superior connotation to it. It’s not just a store that sells food; it’s a holy grail of organic products.
Along with those organic products comes the slew of fads that arise from natural, earthy commodities.
In this day and age, we like things to be raw, ?unprocessed and void of any artificial dyes or animal byproducts. It makes sense, but at the same time some people take that stuff too seriously. Honestly, diet fads make me laugh. When someone tells me they’re gluten-free by choice, it absolutely baffles me. I mean, who doesn’t like white bread?
If you’re allowed to indulge in certain foods others don’t have the privilege to eat because they’re allergic, then it’s high time you “treat yo self.”
Newsflash, we’re not living in the Paleolithic Era. We aren’t cavemen, so the Paleo Diet shouldn’t be a thing.
Also, people need to stop taking artsy pictures on Instagram of fancy foods they don’t actually eat. Quinoa salad and acai bowls aren’t made for art. They’re for ?eating.
The enthusiasm that surrounds the new installment of Whole Foods is a consequence of the ridiculous fads we’ve created for ourselves today. It’s American consumerism at its finest — the Beyoncé diet, Soul Cycle, Hot Yoga and juice cleanses.
That’s not to say I don’t like this consequence. I ate lunch every day at a Whole Foods in New York City because it was a block away from my ?internship.
I overindulged and loved every second of it. In the end, I’m very excited about the prospect of having a Whole Foods here in Bloomington.
But we also need to ?remember Whole Foods is just another grocery store.
It sells food, and we eat it.
jlkarl@indiana.edu
