This Is Our City

Living in a small town, we don't have much of a "foodie" culture. (Also the heavily German, farming demographic may have something to do with that...a doughnut shop that dared feature raised doughnuts instead of cake doughnuts quickly went out of business...we like what we like and don't take to that "furrin'" stuff too well...LOL) But we have dedicated churches that provide meals to the disadvantaged along with housing several food pantries. We have two farmers' markets in the summer where produce is LESS expensive than in the supermarkets. And the Mennonites run a "scratch and dent" grocery store that sells common market items, often at one-half to one-third the usual retail price. This works in a small town. Why can't it work in a larger city?

Having lived all my life in California, I know a thing or two about foodies and food culture. This article was a beautiful reminder of where our heart should be for all the citizens of our communities. That said, I have two minor critiques. First, the foodie culture (at least in Northern California) is not limited to white middle and upper-class patrons. Food culture here is truly multi-ethnic and has a cool way of drawing people together. Second, Trader Joe’s is not really a high-end premium chain; they are more of a small grocer where people can get premium niche products for less than a typical grocery store (I do not work there or have any stock in the company). I would hate to see low-income folks avoid Trader Joe’s because they think it might be too expensive. Whole Foods, on the other hand, is a premium chain. If communities, and the churches therein, desire blessings from heaven, they would do well to keep quality kitchens open to their poorest citizens.