Your Money or Your Life

 Pasadena already had one Whole Foods Market, and since it was doing so well, they decided to build another, and make it three times as large. It opened to massive crowds in November, just in time for the holiday season, and was an instant hit/tourist attraction.  To some people it's considered the Holy Grail of supermarkets. It's over 75,000 square feet and two stories, which means that there is a separate escalator for your cart, so it can conveniently accompany you to the next level. You will find everything you could possibly need to live to be a hundred, if that is your preference. Unless your net-worth is in the billions, forget it, because there is no way you could afford to shop there, for that long, with these prices. Your money will run out before your healthy body does. There is a reason they call it "Whole Paycheck."  Actually it's more like a shopping vacation spot than it is a place where you shop for your weekly staples..

Basically, for me, eating healthy means not having five helpings of sugar per day, but I can see that they have a lot of impressive things if you like organic. As I walked around Whole Foods tonight, I had to remind myself the real meaning of organic, which means grown in clean soil so you can't taste the pesticides.  I never thought that would include sugar cones, liver based dog treats, tooth paste, toilet paper, condoms and cupcakes.  (Just kidding about the  cupcakes.)
When you walk through the produce department, you feel as if you are being French kissed by Mother Nature.  This is how healthy is supposed to look; fresh and  succulent, like a work of art.   Unfortunately, six months later, the excitement has faded, and the crowds have dwindled drastically, except for the weekends.  It seems they would have to have the place filled to capacity at all times,  to move the fresh produce, take out, and prepared items, they have stockpiled. 

Call me old fashioned, but do we really need a nut-roasting bar, blended-butter bar, olive bar, gelato bar, soap bar, and especially a wine tasting bar when we go grocery shopping? In reality, it's basically an amusement food park for the wealthy. I wonder what they do with the expired food they have to throw out everyday? Most people are worried about surviving in this economy and don't have money to spend on frivolous food items when we have to feed our cars, $4.50 a gallon gas.  I love the concept of a green grocery and all the efforts they take to promote local farmers, but I can't see this market surviving unless they drastically cut the prices. I can't see them doing that.  In the meantime, Trader Joe's and Fresh and Easy are thriving. If you live within twenty miles of Pasadena, it's worth the drive to check the place out and feast on the free samples.  If you want to do some grocery shopping, there is a loan bar for your convenience.