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My local grocery store (Berkeley Bowl) is very expensive, on par with Whole Foods -- however their produce department is shockingly cheap. They even have bags o
by mmanfrin 11y ago
My local grocery store (Berkeley Bowl) is very expensive, on par with Whole Foods -- however their produce department is shockingly cheap. They even have bags of bruised food that go for 99c and contain a gallon-sized bag of random fruits or veggies -- and this is at the super expensive local grocer.
Cheap, good food is easy to find. The problem isn't in the pricing of watercress and cherries, it's that people don't see those as complete meals and don't want to go through the effort to cook for themselves. Eating poorly isn't done because it's cheaper, it's done because it's easier.
- danharaj 11y ago> Eating poorly isn't done because it's cheaper, it's done because it's easier. In other words, it is more expensive in a different way.
- ksenzee 11y agoEasier _is_ cheaper. Don't discount the value of the labor required to prepare all that produce and bring it to the table.
- wwweston 11y agoNot just labor -- expertise. Also, do you have access to fully furnished kitchen? Living out of a car or in a marginal housing situation where a kitchen isn't available (or you've got a microwave/hotplate and fridge) changes some of the cooking. These considerations aren't conclusive, and I'm sure there are people who find a way to overcome them, and possibly we could use resources that help others to do so. But on HN of all places people should understand the power of marginal gains. And marginal obstacles.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- dougmany 11y agoI used to live on Channing and loved going to Berkley bowl. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert Within cities, there are more than three times as many supermarkets in wealthier neighborhoods compared with poorer areas.
- galago 11y agoI think the Bay Area is a bit of an outlier in that its close to the Central Valley where a lot of America's produce originates. I used to shop at a place called India Cash and Carry when I lived near Mt. View--also unusually good/cheap produce compared with other states. If you've been in California for a long time, you might not realize that your experience is better than a lot of other places.