Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

Friday, March 03, 2006

What's wrong with this picture?

Whenever I find myself conveniently near a Whole Foods store, I stop in to shop. The produce, though expensive, is some of the most beautiful and flavorful around. The meats have all been humanely raised, which matters to me. (I'm a cheerful carnivore, but I feel much better eating meat from an animal that lived a quality animal life, than from one that spent its short life in unpleasant surroundings antithetical to its animal needs.) The dry goods are delicious, and you can find tasty family treats free from hydrogenated oils, which makes me feel they're healthier. Permeating the whole store -- part of its ethos, I guess -- is respect for the earth and for the environment. Everything is sustainably farmed and, if possible, organic. You can spend way too much on chocolates that carry the manufacturer's promise to give every penny of profit back to a "save the rain forest" group. It's all about what we can do for Mother Nature. And that's why I always get a kick out of the fact that, when my shopping experience is done, when I've worked my way through the checkout line (glancing at very serious magazines about Yoga, Astrology and Environmentalism), I look up to discover that my groceries have been double bagged. Every time. Yesterday, I bought four boxes of crackers (they probably weigh a pound all together), and the bagger carefully placed this lightweight, small collection of goods in two heavy paper bags. Can we say unclear on the concept? Talking to Technorati: , ,