A Slice of {organic} Heaven

I got a new bread machine.

Groundbreaking...I know.

This is a big deal to The Oracle and I; we've had a bread machine for 10 years now and it got used at least once a month during the summer and more - sometimes weekly - in the cooler months.  There is nothing like the smell of homemade bread baking and cooling; of course the eating is pretty spectacular as well.

Anyway - the old machine finally broke so we invested in this Breadman machine.  A little on the pricey side however we know we'll get our money's worth based on the use of our old machine.

The new one came with all new recipes as well and I am having a great time reading them and planning what I'm going to make.

Which brings me to the point of all this - our inaugural visit to the Whole Foods Grocery Store.

To call Whole Foods a grocery store would be to call a Bugatti Veyron a ... car.

We went there because I needed some fairly exotic seeds for a Multi-Seeded Wheat Bread recipe in the new bread machine.  I may stock sesame seeds at home but I've never bought things like flax or black sesame seeds, among others.  We figured an organic food store would have all these unusual items.

They did, and more.

Everything in Whole Foods is either all natural or all organic.  For a rather small store (at least when compared to our normal big-box grocery store) their selection is quite amazing and their displays are works of art.  They have a section of packaged meals that are certified as prepared in and using ingredients from the store.  These range from soups to salads to full dinners.

They looked - amazing.

Whole Foods is a gorgeous place; everything arranged for maximum drool-age.  We spent some leisure time just wandering around.  The Oracle and I love food so going to a place like Whole Foods is like going to the Manolo Blahnik flagship store in NYC to the fashionistas.

The experience can't be rushed.

As we wound our way thru the store, I kept my eyes open for my seeds and twigs. At one point I was giving close examination to the bulk food dispensers when a sweet young man approached and asked if I need assistance.

I did - did they carry black sesame seeds.  Yes, we do - says he - in the international food section.  When I asked where that was so I could go to it - he looked mildly alarmed and said...

I'll go get them for you.

What?  Seriously?

He was serious, smiled very politely, excused himself and went to the section in question.  A few moments later he returned all apologetic - that they did normally have the black sesame seeds but they were out at the moment.

Did I mention - profusely apologetic? And embarrassed not to be able to provide me with my item.

I turned to The Oracle and said ... honey, we are in a foreign country. 

This was only the beginning of an amazing experience.  We were offered free samples of a variety of freshly ground nut spreads; and oh yes, we bought the freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter.

Who knew such a thing existed?

Everyone we encountered was happy - truly happy.  You can tell when it's for show in a store, when it is mandated that the staff look perky and stepford wife-ish for the customers.

Not the case in Whole Foods. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our food shopping experience.  We even purchased dinner for that evening - freshly made ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms topped by organic bolognese sauce.  It was - sublime.

Some of our friends call Whole Foods ... whole paycheck.  And it is true that it is not an inexpensive store.  You can't be all natural, all organic and cheap.

That said - we didn't think that the foods we purchased were any more expensive than what we would pay at our normal grocery store.  I could perhaps acknowledge that some prices were 2-5% more than the big box place.

2-5% is not a small amount for a weekly grocery bill.  Whole Foods is most definitely not a place to do household grocery shopping.  That said, all the food we bought is organic, natural - no preservatives, no drugs, no chemicals. 

It may be more expensive and it is also better for you.  We will be shopping there regularly I'm sure.

Just to get more of those raviolis and sauce, it's worth the trip.

There is another post I plan to write about our shopping experience - the overall cost of food these days.  Like - why a takeout pizza with 3 toppings cost us nearly $25 last night, from a neighborhood pizza joint.