Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing
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Everyone reading this should bow their head and say a word of prayer for my poor wife who puts up with my shopping habits… well, one habit especially.
I am unsure when this habit started, but it was within the last 2 years. I think it is some of Lou Dobbs rubbing off on me.
While grocery shopping and as my wife is busy checking the nutrition labels on the food we are putting in the basket, I am rattling off the countries of origin – China, China, China, Mexico, China, Peru, China, China, Honduras.
Then I lost it one day, I found a small box of garlic bulbs that came from China. One single ounce of garlic had been shipped from CHINA to Lewisville, NC and had found it’s way into my basket. OH MY GAWD DID I BITCH. I complained to management, I warned and complained to other shoppers – Hell, I even let me displeasure known to the cashier. I wasn’t belligerent or rude, just “can you believe we can’t even get American grown garlic?” The folks in the store that I discussed the China issue with were all more virulent about the issue than I was. Some were damn mad – one chap was fuming.
That was it for me and Lowe’s Foods. My wife and I decided to switch to Whole Foods, we expected our food price to be higher, but we bit the bullet. Surprisingly, our bill has gone down. Driscoll’s strawberries at Lowes is four times higher than it is at Whole Foods, plus the WF’s product was much higher in quality.
I still have my habit of calling out the place of origin, but now I can be heard saying “North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia, Maine, North Carolina, Lenoir, California, California, Greece, California, Maryland, North Carolina.”
I can’t say enough good things about this store and their buy local policies. Yes, Maine isn’t exactly in Forsyth County, but it ain’t Asia.
Originally posted on BlueNC on THIS thread)