So, after countless years of hearing about it from you people, there's a Whole Foods opening in my area (there's only 3 in Canada, lucky me). Any tasty products i should be on the lookout for? Do tell. I'll go this afternoon and have a big sorabjite buffet. It will be like you're all here with me, through the food.... *sniff*

i love whole foods. i don't eat much of their prepared foods because I can't afford it. i do like their lobster bisque, but haven't had it in a while. i discovered goat's milk gouda there. i also love their bakery. and aside from the farmer's market, it's the only place i can even consider buying vegetables. their 365 line is good, and affordable for us student types.

this weekend i want to pick up some of their key lime pie (which they get from harry's, which can often be soon on the food network's *good eats* with host, alton brown)

there's an idea. I think I'll just eat pie for dinner tonight. I'm so tired, you guys. how long can a person stand to be so tired before they just collapse?

Goat gouda is awesome. Whole Foods is a pretty good grocers. I tend to think that their stuff is a little bit expensive, but when you don't have access to a coop, it's a great resource for wierd hippie groceries. (Have I mentioned how excited I am that Arcata has not one but TWO giant coops?) I remember the Whole Foods in Berkeley used to make this really good pasta salad with smoked asiago and some other stuff. I also really like the 365 pasta. It's good eatin' I baked bread today and now my house smells good.

We don't have a Whole Foods, but we have a Good Food Store. I've been on a big bread-making kick lately. I've been trying Sourdough, and it has been coming out really huge and not particularly sour. I probably need to let my starter fester some more.

You can get some good buys in the bulk isle. But beware, as in the rest of the store, there's some overpriced shit there.

TBone my sourdough starter always turns into a disaster. I think I'm not giving it the love and care it needs. I usually make a huge load of whole-wheat dough and then work from there--today I made a cinnamon loaf for breakfast toast goodness, blue cheese/walnut rolls (I usually loathe blue cheese--these were for a friend and they were surprisingly good), rosemary/kalamata foccacia, and a couple of loaves of plain old fashioned whole wheat goodness. One of which I ate. Promptly. My stomach is very full right now.

i cant go to the whole foods here on an empty stomach. i will overspend like a motherfucker. especially in the deli. i'll start sampling shit and next thing you know i got $50 worth of deli containers. la brea bakeries which....heavily represented here in la at trader joes, whole foods, wild oats and bristol farms has got to be one of the best fucking bakers of bread.

Sourdough....mmmmmmmm.... Goat's milk gouda sounds wonderful. We don't have a whole foods here, but we do have a "world market" which is supposed to carry some of the same stuff. I dunno. It's on the other end of town so I haven't gone, cuz that whole part of town is like shopping torture!!!!!

and nate turned me on to the cornmeal/non-gmo frozen pizza crusts they sell at Whole Foods. the possibilities are endless. and i second the bulk section. rices and beans in particular are dirt cheap and easy to prepare.

Whole Foods......*drool* I remember the days of going to their meat counter and getting huge, bloody, succulent cuts of steak, and then panfrying them with a bit of whatever liquor was around...bourbon was good. God. I would totally spend like $100 on groceries there, just on me. Their bakery made awesome white-chocolate-blueberry cookies, and they had a great selection of international cheeses... I miss it there.

Nothing beats my wife's black beans and rice -- we usually have that with pork spareribs which we grill out. Add some schiraca (sp?) sauce to the beans, and that's heaven.

our bakery doesn't have those white-chocolate blueberry cookies---those sound heavenly.

you gotta get the peanut butter panda puffs (cereal) and they have orangina there..good stuff.. and..and...the chocolate angle food cake..mmm.. and ofcourse, all the produce is great.. sometimes the prepared stuff is so so..ours makes some pretty good sushi..

sriracha sauce, dougie? the vietnamese chili sauce? mmmmm. i dined on vietnamese food tonight and i always keep sriracha and tuong ot toi viet-nam sauce handy. isn't your wife from puerto rico? i seem to remember discussing a mo[n]fongo recipe with you. i remember my grandfather being big on whole foods when i was a kid. every time we went to austin we had to go there. we always got a bag of roasted soy beans, which i'm still addicted to to this day. handy to have for a night of drinking.

sriracha ++ roasted soybeans +++ i eat them most days.

lately.

i crave legume proteins. strange, innocuous craving...but i do. chilis i need because i'm not sure my poor ravaged stomach can digest food without them. and abuelita hot chocolate i can't live without. especially my special cafe abuelita concoction. can you get abuelita at whole foods? here you can get it at the dollar store.

"I remember the days of going to their meat counter and getting huge, bloody, succulent cuts of steak, and then panfrying them with a bit of whatever liquor was around...bourbon was good." once again spider issues me a boner. the vicolli cornmeal pizza crusts are definiately awesome. our whole food's meat counter has primals of beef hanging, dry aging in a case behind the counter. jesus christ that beef is good. on monday i bought a fillet of locally caught sockeye salmon. it was the best cooked salmon i've ever had. i did it up on the grill with some spring onions, sliced yams, red bell pepper. jesus christ. and some halibut, from who knows where. i just had a couple beers with the produce guy from our whole foods. we sat outside mcnears and ate burgers and had a couple of pints. we talked about writing. i mostly tell him to relax. his plots are good. psychotic, but good. his writing is forced. he'll get there. he's dating a girl who works in the supplements aisle of the whole foods. she's been having dreams about him. dreams where he ignores her, or is a total dick. it translates over to real life. i wonder how long they'll be. he took her virginity. i imagine she's itching to test her cunt on other cocks now. san pelligrino is cheaper at whole foods than anywhere else around. and, if you buy a case, you get an additional 10% off. this is true for anything they stock. i've been really enjoying the d'affinois double cream brie. room temperature, water crackers. it is so amazing, and cheap for cheese. the goats' milk gouda, i had that for the first time a week ago. i bbq'd sausage and veggies for the produce guy and the supplement girl. the one thing i stay away from is the bulk foods. i've had too many jars of rice turn beetled or mothed. arcata doesn't need a whole foods. just like berkeley doesn't need a whole foods. damn, that has me thinking of the chataqua and KMUD and the mateel. i spend more time around garberville than actual arcata. it's time to get the fuck north.

i don't really eat meat anymore. my body has changed or i've started paying attention and eating a lot of things makes me sick now. meat usually doesn't taste like something worth eating. there's only one person i want to have sex with for now and the future, but that's probably not how it's going to be. *sigh*

Norwegian salmon from whole foods was the best I ever cooked. But you're frikkin' wrong on the bulk, man. Frikkin' wrong!

Nate you sent me into a momentary fantasy about dry aged beef. I actually dislike the Berkeley Bowl, primarily because everyone parades around in it with an "I'm so superior and trendy it hurts" expression. And the cashiers always give me lip because, obviously, working for the Berkeley Bowl is even cooler than shopping there. Although I would agree that Arcata doesn't need a whole foods, given the two awesome coops that already exist there. Although, sadly, I didn't notice any dry aged beef lurking there. I would like to get the fuck north but searching for housing is turning into a nightmare. Luckily my landlords here are extraordinarily cool and are letting me stay here until I find something in Arcata. Damn Arcata landlords and their unwillingness to rent to me. mmmm. beef.

Oh and Garberville proper, like the town, not the environs, scares the willies out of me. I had an unfortunate escapade at the cadillac wok recently which may have scarred me for life.

the prepared food at ous isn't always that great, although they do some fun things with veggies. there is a tea set there that i want, but i'm looking to see if i can get it cheaper someplace else. still, it's cute. their tea/coffee aisle is another where I find myself stuck for days... the only thing I get from bulk on a regular basis is nuts. i sometimes get granola--that way I can buy a cup or so, i just like to sprinkle a bit on my yogurt and fruit, to give it some texture. my old roommate discovered ginger granola when i worked at whole foods in boston (aka Bread & Circus) I got a 20% discount. i miss that discount.

I like the bulk foods, but I tend to feel uncreative looking through that section. The bulk fair-trade coffee makes me happy. They have the best soy sauce. I had no idea what I was missing.

its true. everytime i hit the whole foods i encounter at least 4 sexy, skinny bra-less women witrh no rings on their fingers and with small pointy tits that id seriously want to have sex with...like right then and there. Often, 1 of them is with me. Christ i love summer in this town. *blink blink* i havent had bulk food issues yet. Admittedly I dont buy a shit load. I buy a couple of pounds of rice or dried beans which sit in my pantry for no longer than a month or two. I havent dug into their meat section, primarily because i dont eat it that much and thus don't buy it. I think i have had some fish and I know i had a goose from their meat dept. but thats about it.

I just realized it's my birthday. How 'bout that. I think I'll go to the GFS and get some kickass food to make for my dinner.

Happy birthday Tbone!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy birthday to TBone! I just had fresh salmon. Or so was claimed. Tasted/smelled super fresh to me. And it was yummy. Oh, god, was it.

birthdayhappyhaveonetbone. i haven't even yet today. 'cept for some soybeans and cafe abuelita. i feel faint.

ima hafta get me some of that abuelita. a local coffee place makes mexican hot cocoa but it tastes like regular hot cocoa with red hots--blech

abuelita isn't cocoa, it's actual bars or tablets of chocolate (depending on the version you get - mexican or ecuadorian) that you melt into milk. or you can do what i do - reconstitute dry milk with coffee and a few drops of vanilla. one of these in the morning will get you through the day.

happy happy birthday tbone. eat cake.

happy happy birthday tbone. lick carpet.

So wisper we need a Whole Foods report.

No cake for me. I eat pie. Oh lordy too much pie. Carpet comes later.

happy boneday!

Well......i didn't actually go yet platy. I feel bad, but i had some health concerns come up that i must tend to first. i'll be 100% on the lookout for the pizza crust and the white-chocolate-blueberry cookies. Those sound friggen amazing. oh boy oh boy

I discovered dancing deer (a boston company) molasses spice cookies there which are among the best cookies in the world. occasionally we can get dancing deer stuff in ohio at the wild oats there, but no so much down here. there are plenty of southern based cookie companies, plus the WF bakery to keep me satisfied. the immaculate baking company makes awesome little cookies. Pumpkin gingerlies and key lime largo are my favorites. I think i sent some to dave. and agatha once.

Oh my god, the key lime largo ones are so good. I wish that we got them here. You just sent me into a cascade of salivation.

i paid $2.02 for one green tomato at whole foods yesterday... *shhh! don't tell* oneofthemfancyt'maters... anyway..i plan to make a fried green tomato out of it..which..is worth the lousy $2 tomato.. i was just shocked..i'm not very good at looking at prices until it's too late..

holy crap spiracle, did it taste like $2 worth of goodness? This raises a good question for everyone here- What's the most expensive single ingredient/food item you've ever bought?

hmmm...i spent $30 on a can of tea once. the venison i ordered for sem's st. patrick's day dinner was pretty expensive, but that's because i had it shipped. i'm sure i've splurged on cheese and wine, but I don't remember. my wine tastes have evolved such that I'm spending about $17/bottle on wine now. I still like the $10 ravenwood zinfandel and such, but I keep trying new things that I read about in Food and Wine and get from the people at the various places I buy wine, and keep liking them more.

I ordered foie gras with truffles from Dean & Deluca one time. It was like $65. Damn, must do that again soon. Nothing like it on toasted Pepperidge Farm white bread with a little butter. Nothing like it.

I made an awesome dinner tonight, as it was me solo -- 2 lamb chops, grilled out on the barbie, 3 ears of corn on the cob boiled, and a box of that Near East Long Grain & Wild Rice. Made a pig of myself.

I also like whole foods and other such stores because Ican get Santa Cruz brand lemon and lime juices (not from concentrate). I drink lots of lemon water these days, with lots of lemon juice. w/ ice. through a straw. dude, i am so not getting scurvy

I've spent a lot of money at a restaurant, rather than on an ingredient. Especially famous restaurants. But I'm not telling how much cause you'll go all judgemental on my cute butt.

I have an intense desire for the curry at a nearby sush restaurant. Also, lemon water sounds good. Or lemonade. Limeade! Yeah.

Oh god. Odwalla limeade is amazing. I love lemonade, but only when it's made with fresh lemons.

i've got a new bus driver on the number seven to work - big jeff. big as in he looks like he's swallowed a vw beetle. jeff's a people person, loves to talk. his favorite subject is restaurants, who has the best food for the best prices. "you like mexican food? take the number one up to the north side. there's a little mom and pop place - you'll see it, has a sign that says "barba-COW-a. you can get a whole cow's head - just eat right off it - for $5. you can't beat that."

newman's own limeade is good, too. mixed with sparkling water. i think fruit juice always needs to be diluted.

I got a friend who dilutes all his fruit juices, dave, which I always thought was weird. Actually, I thought he was just being cheap when we were rommates in college, but he says he's always done it. I need it full strength. Anybody tried that Pomegranate juice -- pretty good, but really expensive, like 3 or 4 bucks for a small bottle.

When my Heather was a toddler she practically lived on apple juice,got a horrible rash from it and the doctor told me to dilute it, the rash went away,maybe your friend has sensitive skin Droopy.

I dilute fruit juice with diet green tea. Fuckin' awesome, tastes great, 1/4th the calories.

Aside from the occasional pomegranate juice (which I don't particularly like, but they say it's super for you),I don't drink fruit juice although a few weeks ago I bought a carton of grapefruit juice because I was craving it. It wasn't as exciting as I remembered. I drink a lot of flavored sparkling water and 1-2 mixed berry emergen-c's/day.

i could drink nothing but limeade for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

you wouldn't get the scurvy that's for sure.

I love Santa Cruz limeade. Every summer Harvest has a huge sale on it and I buy about eight cases. And drink it all day long. Cat, I once spent about $800 at Chez Panisse. Ain't no judgin' from this corner over here.

I used to live ni santa cruz, i think it funny that you want to drink what is bottled in the name of that place. og if the hiccups would dstop i'd be in abetter place. goddamn these hiccups. like death itseelffed. i jus t ate a bujnch of chicken and chips. m my sotnacmh is in revolt.......... i ghnk it is ckllos, though tat the ame time i am sure i;kk be ij,

fnord!

someone was drunk!

bork bork bork!

By Isolde on Monday, May 15, 2000 - 08:19 pm: Arcata, yeah, I know. But Arcata frightens me. And it's a long ways from here. *sigh* I have to make all my own asian food, and I'm not great with sushi. It's usually pretty good, but there's a little something missing.

The times, they are a changin' Although I did go to the sushi place right off the sqaure, and it's pretty good.

Er...the square.

that's the one. i like it.

They did satisfy my craving for calimari, which was very nice of them. And the eel rolls ain't half bad. I still wish there was a Thai place though.

Platy, did you find a place yet? Do you want me to give your email address to my friends? You might like each other, or maybe not. Who knows. At any rate, they might have some rental hookup, or something.

Platy I told you I would swap the Pandyr's hand in marriage for a box of reese peanut butter cups!

I'm working on it moonit. Things are a little hectic around here these days. You will probably have to resend your address. And Agatha, no sign of a place yet, and I would be interested in being introduced to your friends...

So i finally went to Whole Foods, and all i bought was a red pepper, condoms, and a Snapple. oh, the humanity. But i had fun smelling the soaps and eating tons of free samples. I will be BACK. ....seeing those 3 items together, i think it sums up me as a person somehow. now I'm glued to C-Pac. I only got 4 hours sleep last night, watching goddamn parliament. Tonight's the night.

i had no idea whole foods had condoms.. they soy flavored?

they have snapple at whole foods?

i think wf condoms are made out of rice, like a spring roll skin.

Isn't that seaweed?

yes condoms and yes Snapple. The condoms are in the bath stuff aisle, under the all-natural tampons. They're not soy they're just the super-fancy Japanese thin ones. But more importantly, you wanna heare some crazy bullshit? you should watch the live feed on http://www.cpac.ca/ , some liberal party chicks are eating conservatives for breakfast. It's a slaughter, man. I think it's 2 hours till the vote.

hey, your conservatives are just as troglodytic as ours.

with their DEAD EYES I've been watching parliament for 6 hours, and I'm sure this is not healthy, Mr.Speaker. tip: NDP= super-left Bloc= super-french assholes

1. I too dilute all fruit juices...they make my teeth ache if I don't. 2. Droopy, did I tell you my roommate E. discovered la abuelita at the Amish store near us? It's the Mexican kind, I think, because it's in the round form, not the tablets. I think. Whatever. It is good but strong. 3. Have you guys heard of Food Source? It's sorta like a Fresh Fields, but much smaller, and I don't think they have their own generic brand (a la 365). They have great produce, a great salad/deli/hot foods bar, and lots of international items. One is in Bryn Mawr, PA, but I don't know if they're a chain store or not.

Its done. Gay marriage just passed its final reading 158-133

spider, i had visions of montana amish in my head for a second. then i remembered you were back in pa. "good" and "strong" is pretty much the criteria for most of the things i drink. though i can drop the "good" in a pinch. i'm on the mailing list of something called "lehman's non-electric catalog: celebrating 50 years of serving the amish and others without electricity with products for simple, self-sufficient living." but they don't sell abuelita. i'm gay for canada.

No, there *are* Amish in Montana! There's a community of about 15-20 families that lives about 8 miles down the road from us, and one of the families runs a store for damaged non-perishable goods (where you can get a box of cereal for 50 cents). You can also get a pair of hand-tooled leather boots made custom for your feet and hand-made furniture and free pet rabbits from the Amish, too.

that sounds cool. i'm gay for montana amish.

I didn't know we had Amish. I thought all we had were hutterites.

wisper you on a speed binge? otherwise Im trying to understand how you spend 6 hours watching your version of cspan. that could also explain the extra fancy condoms? it could also explain why speed comes to mundane as I saw Spun recently. Fucking freaky movie. Speed creeps me out.

it wasn't easy.