Whole Foods Customers Express Tolerance By Boycotting Over CEO's Alternative Health Care Ideas

Commenter JB flags this amusing ABC News story, with the great headline/subhed combo: "Health Care Stirs Up Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Customers Boycott Organic Grocery Store: Branding Experts Say CEOs Should Stay Quiet When It Comes to Politics."

The lead of the story, which is about fallout from Mackey daring to utter a different prescription for health care reform than one favored by liberal Democrats, is even funnier:

Joshua has been taking the bus to his local Whole Foods in New York City every five days for the past two years. This week, he said he'll go elsewhere to fulfill his fresh vegetable and organic produce needs.

"I will never shop there again," vowed Joshua, a 45-year-old blogger, who asked that his last name not be published.

Fight on, brave Joshua!

This reminds me of a panel I was on with Mackey one month ago, about the legalization of marijuana, of which he is an equally outspoken proponent (much more so than President Barack Obama or the vast majority of elected Democratic politicians, for example). Should he stay quiet when it comes to those politics, too? And does Mackey's legalization position, which I'm guessing is closer to the position of Planet Joshua than Planet Obama, cancel out the CEO's unconscionable support for a different kind of health care reform? Or is it more that you're not supposed to oppose the president?

Comments

[Episiarch]

Somehow I think Whole Foods will do just fine even without "Joshua" and a few others. The store isn't just for organic-philes; it's also for people looking for really hard to get gourmet shit. They have white anchovies in olive oil there!

[Kyle Jordan]

Whole Foods has excellent sausages and soups. Their roast chicken is pretty damn good too although I prefer Wal-Mart's version. Me thinks I'm gonna go see what all they have on sale when I go out tomorrow for groceries.

[Invisible Finger]

What blogger doesn't want his name published??

[sage]

It gets better:

"While Mackey is worried about health care and stimulus spending, he doesn't seem too worried about expensive wars and tax breaks for the wealthy and big businesses such as his own that contribute to the deficit," said Lent.

You hear that, you capitalist swines? Businesses CONTRIBUTE to the defecit!

[sage]

I really meant "deficit." Really.

[Lamar]

After the dust settles, will Mackey's position on health care reform do more damage to Whole Foods's reputation or Obamacare's chances of passing?

[R C Dean]

While Mackey is worried about health care and stimulus spending, he doesn't seem too worried about expensive wars and tax breaks for the wealthy and big businesses

The relevance of this to his prescription for health care reform escapes me.

Am I right in thinking that Lent is criticizing Mackey for not opposing Obama on tax breaks and the war, while opposing him on health care?

You can't disagree with the Big O on anything unless you disagree with him on everything? In that case, I'm in the clear.

[hmm]

That's it. I'm going to take a Sudafed, that put me on a meth list, go by Bill's house and get a contact buzz, then go satisfy my munchies with a $100 Whole Foods binge. That gets me what? Two slices of pizza and some fruity organic drink right?

FUCK YOU JOSHUA!

*the sudafed is because I am somehow mildly allergic to pot smoke.

[Euler]

This article makes me want to shop at Whole Foods. Too bad there isn't one anywhere near me.

[Vehical Driver]

Obamacare will not pass. The Democrats are scared shitless of Obamacare. Right now they are in damage control mode trying to figure out how to blame the Republicans when their un-defeatable and un-veto-able majority scuttle health care reform.

[John]

Notice he takes the bus to whole foods every five days to get fresh vegitables and organic produce. He is not going there for the kick ass wine selection or for their desserts or breaks. Just organic vegitables and produce. And he doesn't drive either. He takes the bus.

Apparently, Joshua is very concerned that he might you know enjoy himself once in a while. Does it ever dawn on these people that they are walking talking cliches?

[Geoff]

I personally love this gem:

"I think a CEO should take care that if he speaks about politics, that his beliefs reflect at least the majority of his clients."

That corporate monster! He definitely should lie about his views and pay lip service to his liberal customers, padding his fat greedy pockets.

Wait..what...he didn't do that?

[roystgnr]

Gee, it's a good thing that the liberals have a wide variety of grocery options available from many independent private suppliers, allowing them to conveniently get service elsewhere when one provider does something they don't like.

I wonder if any of them are self-aware enough to appreciate the irony.

[John]

Suger Free was on here yesterday talking about how one of his student volunteers wouldn't let him talk some emo kid into killing himself. If you are out there, Sugerfree, could you use your powers on Joshua? I am tired of him breathing my air.

[hmm]

Good point John. I'm going to drive my truck to Bill's and Whole Foods since it gets 17 mpg and buy the most decadent thing I can find in Whole foods.

[Naga Sadow]

Save your dignity, Euler. Only anarcho-capitalist snobs like Epi shop at Whole Foods.

[Dagny T.]

roystgnr FTW.

[John]

HMM,

Go take your big ass truck and buy yourself a good bottle of wine and some big assed chocolate dessert. I am sure the Joshuas of the world are laying in bed right fretting that someone might be enjoying themselves.

[Episiarch]

Naga, where else am I going to get Spanish extra virgin olive oil, raw milk Gorgonzola, and frozen mahi mahi burgers?

[Dagny T.]

He is not going there for the kick ass wine selection or for their desserts

Good cheese selection too. Too bad our man Josh is probably a vegan. I note that he is not ideologically pure enough to be a freegan, however.

[Kyle Jordan]

"Naga, where else am I going to get Spanish extra virgin olive oil, raw milk Gorgonzola, and frozen mahi mahi burgers?"

You are dead to me...

[Anonymous]

big assed chocolate dessert

Racist.

[Naga Sadow]

All right Epi! You forced me to link to this clip! Spanish extra virgin olive oil, raw milk Gorgonzola, and frozen mahi mahi burgers?

[hotsauce]

I don't shop at Whole Foods regularly because it's more expensive than my local megamart, which also has above-average meat, produce, and booze selections. But I like this Mackey fellow, so maybe -- maybe -- I'll give his overpriced store another looksee.

If anecdontal evidence is worth much, I don't think these boycotts will affect WF's bottom line. 99% of the people I know who shop there are fad liberals, i.e., those who call themselves Democrats because they think they should but who really know dick about politics and current events. They didn't read the WSJ column, they don't know who Mackey is, and the most they'll hear about this boycott is a two minute story on NPR.

[John]

I forgot the cheese selection Dagney. It is good. And I wouldn't bet against Josh being a Vegan.

[Naga Sadow]

Dagny,

Freegan?

[spambot]

Hmmmmm being boycotted because of something he said against the President's ideas. See this reminds me of those Dixie Chic gals. Does this mean his free speach is being squelched?

[Kyle Jordan]

"Hmmmmm being boycotted because of something he said against the President's ideas. See this reminds me of those Dixie Chic gals. Does this mean his free speach is being squelched?"

No. It just means idiots are being idiots. Just the opposite group of idiots this time.

[John]

"Dagny,

Freegan?"

Naga,

You are just not up on the hip and cool ways to live. This is how wiki describes a Freegan

Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources". Freegans "embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed."[1] The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters, known as dumpster diving. Freegans salvage the food for political reasons, rather than out of need."

Yes, dirty hippies stealing your trash and of course feeling smug about it.

[eutocius]

"Notice he takes the bus to whole foods every five days to get fresh vegitables and organic produce. He is not going there for the kick ass wine selection or for their desserts or breaks. Just organic vegitables and produce. And he doesn't drive either. He takes the bus.

Apparently, Joshua is very concerned that he might you know enjoy himself once in a while. Does it ever dawn on these people that they are walking talking cliches?"

I get organic vegetables and produce, but get cheaper, non-organic versions of most other things at safeway. Also, there are liquor stores with fine wine selections, better beer prices, and hard alcohol (which I prefer). And yeah, I ride the bus, which means I can read instead of staring at traffic lights. Didn't realize I was a cliche.

[Episiarch]

Naga, I remember that episode. Classic.

Whole Foods has certain things which are outrageously priced, but they also have certain stuff that is amazingly priced. Their produce is usually outrageous, but certain stuff in their 365 house brand can often beat other grocery stores, and is better quality.

Plus they have their excellent selection of wine, beer, and sake, often at very good prices. They have disappointed me, though, by not having fresh rabbit or duck.

[Pro Libertate]

Food sure is cheap and abundant. Must be thanks to all of those government subsidies. God bless the government!

[Dagny T.]

Naga,

Hier

[Pro Libertate]

Trader Joe's. We don't have that down here. I demand government intervention!

[The Angry Optimist]

Hey y'all, in case you were curious, here's blogger "Joshua" and the post slamming Whole Foods.

I wouldn't want you guys to go over there and say anything to him though. And no briar patches, either.

I am throwing a party tonight, and I think I might hike up to Whole Foods and get some of their wine. I admit that the store has awesome selection in that department.

[Kyle Jordan]

That Absolutely Fabulous clip was great! Never watched it when it was on CC. I think I have to give this show a chance now.

Thanks Naga.

[nobody]

Joshua needs to read up on breatharianism.

[Naga Sadow]

Pro Lib,

What is this . . . Trader Joe's? I saw a few in LA last year but never entered for fear I would be dispatched by a bunch of toga sporting, flip flop wearing, fiends. 😉

[nicole]

Notice he takes the bus to whole foods every five days to get fresh vegitables and organic produce. He is not going there for the kick ass wine selection or for their desserts or breaks. Just organic vegitables and produce. And he doesn't drive either. He takes the bus.

While I have no love for Joshua, I do have to say two things in his favor. Whole Foods doesn't have a kick-ass wine selection in New York, because that would be illegal, and I probably wouldn't be driving to the supermarket if I lived in NYC either.

[hmm]

Trader Joe's. We don't have that down here. I demand government intervention!

I like TJs more than whole foods.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Businessmen who rely on retail sales shouldn't talk politics. However, if you are going to alienate a block of your customers, it might as well be the hippies buying overpriced fad items.

[Fluffy]

Joshua doesn't want his last name used because if he used it, someone who doesn't like his boycott might boycott him.

Because always remember, when progressives do it, it's a "boycott". If libertarians were to do it, it would be a "blacklist".

Just like public protest of government figures is "a demonstration" when progressives do it, but "thuggish intimidation" when right-wingers do it.

And just like walking a picket line is "bargaining" when union members do it, and "harassment" and "hate speech" when abortion opponents do it.

[hmm]

Stupid personal insight:

I just showed this to my wife, who is decidedly apolitical most of the time. (probably due to my brother and I)

Her response was exactly the same as mine. "So, what do you want for dinner from Whole Foods tonight? I'll swing by OTW home from work."

[Naga Sadow]

TAO,

If they want to drink Merlot, we're drinking Merlot.

[Xeones]

Naga, where else am I going to get Spanish extra virgin olive oil, raw milk Gorgonzola, and frozen mahi mahi burgers?

Trader Joe's, dude. It is hella cheap, too. I got a big ol' bottle of Spanish evoo a couple weeks ago for like $6.

[John]

"While I have no love for Joshua, I do have to say two things in his favor. Whole Foods doesn't have a kick-ass wine selection in New York, because that would be illegal, and I probably wouldn't be driving to the supermarket if I lived in NYC either."

All true. But that sentence still made him sound like such a douschebag.

[Episiarch]

Trader Joe's has some great stuff at great prices, but it just does not have the overall selection that Whole Foods has. And both god-damned times I bought fresh buffalo mozzarella from them it had gone sour already, the fuckers. Well, I learned my lesson.

[sage]

Yes, dirty hippies stealing your trash and of course feeling smug about it.

That might be the funniest thing I've read all day.

[John]

TJs is really kick ass. But I never found it to be "organic". It just seems like a funky grocery store.

[John]

Thank you sage.

[Fluffy]

Trader Joe's sucks.

It occupies less the "gourmet foodie stuff" niche and more the "Ad Aware I don't want to buy anything with a brand name" niche. But now it has become so large that Trader Joe's has itself become a brand name, so the customers trying to step outside the corporate branding system by shopping there are pushing around tiny little half-size shopping carts of FAIL.

[Episiarch]

I got a big ol' bottle of Spanish evoo a couple weeks ago for like $6.

Whole Foods is 33.8 oz for $10 (sometimes on sale for $8). What size is the TJs one? I may have to make a Trader Joes visit.

[JB]

Fluffy, that was a great post:
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/135439.html#1357729

[Xeones]

But I never found it to be "organic".

I don't give a fuck about organic. It's funky and, this is crucial, cheap, and that's enough for me. The nearest Trader Joe's locations are both a half-hour drive from my house, so i get to kill the planet, too.

[WWJGD]

"Conservatives have had 3 decades to show the country how & why their unbridled economic religion - The Church of Deregulation & Tax cuts, Tax cuts & Deregulation - was a dogma that in the end would be beneficial to a majority of Americans."

There seems to be a rip in space and time and somehow this guy's blog on his world and our world are crossing paths.

[Xeones]

I'll look it up when i get home, Epi.

[Pro Libertate]

Trader Joe's is, among other things, a place where you can get cheaper gourmet or alternative foods. It has the green thing going, too, but it does a lot of stuff via private label to cut down on the cost. This angers fluffy ?

Ain't in Tampa. We've got Whole Foods and Fresh Market, along with the more traditional chains.

[kinnath]

Don't bother going to visit josh, posting requires "approval".

[Pro Libertate]

I mean, Fluffy. Don't know any lowercase fluffies.

[Kyle Jordan]

Epi,

I know I said you were dead to me and all but have you ever ordered online from the Mozzarella Company?

There cheese is fantastic. My mom ordered some a while back and gave me some of the little mozzarella balls and I loved them.

[Xeones]

TAO, if you don't mind, i'm just gonna boycott Joshua by not clicking on your link.

[ChrisH]

As people hear that "I (heart) organic" does not equal "I (heart) socialized medicine", there ought to be heads exploding all along the coasts. Macky's lucky he hasn't killed anyone yet.

"Joshua" could always get his produce from Wal-Mart's new organic and local offerings... (BAMM!) oh, there goes another one.

[Lamar]

Why do smelly granola munchers think they drive Whole Foods's profits? Go ahead, boycott whatever you want. You'll soon realize that people rich enough to shop at Whole Foods have health insurance.

[Responsible American]

Joshua has been taking the bus to his local Whole Foods in New York City every five days for the past two years. This week, he said he'll go elsewhere to fulfill his fresh vegetable and organic produce needs.

"I will never shop there again," vowed Joshua, a 45-year-old blogger, who asked that his last name not be published.

Joshua rides a bus and, it appears, is fond of government handouts. I suspect he is on welfare enjoying the rewards others earned through their labors. Josh, next time your in the grocery store buying your organic apples take a moment to shake hands and thank one of the employees there who paid for it.

[The Angry Optimist]

X - that's cool, man. I put a comment up, but the comments are moderated, so I expect to be deposited in the man's cognitive-dissonance category of "Conservatives are People who Do not Agree with Joshua".

I was kinda hoping I could find his last name. Serve the little guy right.

[John]

Everytime someone opens a bottle of Two Buck Chuck Fuffy dies a little inside.

[franz kafka]

I get so excited walking into TJs I wanna take my pants off.

[Episiarch]

I know I said you were dead to me and all but have you ever ordered online from the Mozzarella Company?

I am fanatical about my fresh mozzarella having grown up on the stuff made daily by hand from the Italian Pork Store (Italian deli). If it's more than a day old, it starts to suck, so anything through mail will blow just because it will be a few days old.

DeLaurenti here in Seattle at Pike Place Market is only a few blocks from me and they make it fresh every weekend. Sometimes it's too tough, but sometimes it's pretty damn tender and good.

[The Angry Optimist]

Epi - gimme your address. I'm gonna send you a whole case of "mozzarella" string cheese from Sam's Club.

And a case of Bud Light.

[Pro Libertate]

TAO,

Surely you're a snob about something.

[JW]

Fluffy, that was a great post:
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/135439.html#1357729

The fluffster is on a roll today. Well played sah!

I treat TJ's as an upscale convenience store, which is essentially what it is. There's a WF near me, but parking is a bitch and the prices have kept me away. I may now have to brave these conditions, just to give Joshua and his fellow travelers the big, fat mofo'in finger. That and to give props to Mackey for putting his money and mouth together.

And you can't get beer or wine at grocery stores in MD nor DC. You can in VA, which is only one more reason why MD and DC suck so much.

[Kyle Jordan]

"I am fanatical about my fresh mozzarella having grown up on the stuff made daily by hand from the Italian Pork Store (Italian deli)."

If we could all be so lucky. That sounds damn good.

And this thread's making me hungry.

[Geoff]

What is this "slacking" in which all of the cool progressives partake? How and where can I learn more about it?

Unforunately, Josh hasn't responded to my email yet 🙁

[WWJGD]

Will the Whole Foods boycotters now go to a store that falls more in line with their view on health care reform, ie a progressive company that supports health care for all like Wal-Mart?

The irony, it is delicious.

[Michael]

I just Google mapped it and have to ask. Joshua, are your legs broken? That's like five blocks.

[The Angry Optimist]

Surely you're a snob about something.

I'm snobby about my anti-snobbery.

[hotsauce]

All this talk is making me hungry too. On my way home tonight, I'm going to stop at WF to pick up a bottle of vino, fresh mozzarella, tomatos, and basil. I already have OO and BV from my last Italian vaca.

[Xeones]

Joshua rides a bus and, it appears, is fond of government handouts. I suspect he is on welfare enjoying the rewards others earned through their labors.

RACIST!

[ChrisH]

By the way, the "Joe" of "Trader Joe's" is also a Friend of Reason(tm).

Don't know the specifics of his health care plan...

(To be consistent, he'd have to make a deal on some obscure Canadian and Costa Rican health care, and rebrand it with a funny name and a humorous woodcut on the label.)

[John]

"And you can't get beer or wine at grocery stores in MD nor DC. You can in VA, which is only one more reason why MD and DC suck so much."

You can in Maryland, at exactly one grocery store per county. How much money do think that little privelege goes for? In Maryland government it is always first and foremost about stealing.

[Xeones]

That's like five blocks.

When i read the bit Welch excerpted, i immediately pictured Joshua as being decidedly egg-shaped. No lie.

[Pro Libertate]

Elitist.

[Episiarch]

Epi - gimme your address. I'm gonna send you a whole case of "mozzarella" string cheese from Sam's Club.

[insert's Joshua's address here]

If we could all be so lucky. That sounds damn good.

You have no idea, dude. BelGioioso makes a surprisingly tender mozzarella that can be found in most grocery stores, and it's passable, especially for something that has a sell-by date. But if you get the chance, get hand-made (that day) fresh mozzarella from someone who knows what they're doing. You will be blown away by the difference.

[Pro Libertate]

That was directed at TAO.

By the way, I'm willing to injure people who use terms like OO or EVOO in reference to olive oil. The one place I thought was safe from the non-cook was here.

Episiarch,

Can't you make your own?

[The Angry Optimist]

Funny story: in Indiana, you can get all the booze you want, at the front of the grocery store.

The condoms, on the other hand, are under lock-and-key.

[The Widow White]

"*the sudafed is because I am somehow mildly allergic to pot smoke."

Condolences.

[ds]

Naga:

"I am not drinking fucking Merlot."

[The Angry Optimist]

no, ProL, I take that back: I am snobby about people who are poorly dressed. I don't mean you have to get anything expensive, mind, but a XXXXL Tweety-bird T-Shirt is appropriate as a truck rag and nothing else.

[Xeones]

Pro L, quit being such an abbreviation Nazi.

[Fluffy]

Mmmmmmmm fresh mozzarella...

I think I'll go get some fresh mozzarella from the Italian store, and slice it up with one of the Black from Tula tomatoes in my garden, drizzle some Spanish olive oil on, and maybe add a little garlic salt.

Mmmmmmmmm I like August.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Epi,

Trader Joe's carries Spanish EVOO. And it's damn good, too. Not to mention (probably) a few bucks less than Whole Foods.

[hotsauce]

ProL, is S&P an injury-worthy abbreviation? Does it make a difference if the S is kosher and the P is freshly ground?

[Pro Libertate]

Abbreviations are lovely. Just not ones inspired by She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Say, that makes me a television chef snob, doesn't it?

[John]

Whenever someone says EVOO, all I can think about is Rachel Ray and her mildly perky tits, thick waste, cute ass and annoying accent.

[WWJGD]

"Funny story: in Indiana, you can get all the booze you want, at the front of the grocery store."

Yeah, but you can't get any cold alcohol in grocery stores. Ironically, the stores that are fighting for alcohol sales on Sunday are fighting to prevent grocery stores from selling cold beer. It's sad to watch.

[John]

Was that on que enough for you Pro?

[Fluffy]

Wait a second...the "EVOO" abbreviation comes to us courtesy of "It"?

OK, then put me down on the list of people who endorse violence against those who use it.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

By the way, I'm willing to injure people who use terms like OO or EVOO in reference to olive oil. The one place I thought was safe from the non-cook was here.

EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO
EVOO EVOO

Sorry, it had to be done.

[R C Dean]

Because always remember, when progressives do it, it's a "boycott". If libertarians were to do it, it would be a "blacklist".

Somebody help me out here.

Is it the libertarians who are racist for "blacklisting" somebody, or the progressives for calling it a "blacklist"?

I'm so confused. But I know somebody has to be racist, dammit.

[Dario]

Ironic that someone who is such a vocal advocate of personal liberty would suggest that it's inappropriate for consumers to vote with their pocketbooks.

[Xeones]

OK, then put me down on the list of people who endorse violence against those who use it.

Cripes! I was unaware of the origins. Sorry about the name-calling, Pro L. I promise i'll type the whole thing out from now on.

[Kyle Jordan]

"Whenever someone says EVOO, all I can think about is Rachel Ray and her mildly perky tits, thick waste, cute ass and annoying accent."

Word yo.

RR circa '06 and Giada are one of my top fantasy threeways.

Though these days, I'm really preferring Giada over Rachel.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

So if my use of the abbreviation has everything to do with laziness and nothing to do w/ Rachel Ray, do I still warrant injury done to me?

[R C Dean]

all I can think about is Rachel Ray and her mildly perky tits, thick waste, cute ass and annoying accent.

Ewww.

[Sorry, John. I had to do it. Its the Law.]

[John]

"Ironic that someone who is such a vocal advocate of personal liberty would suggest that it's inappropriate for consumers to vote with their pocketbooks."

No one objects to Joshua's right to boycott. It is a free country. And we are free to make fun of him.

[Geoff]

That is why I personally cringe when I hear EVOO in that upstate NY pseudo-canadian accent. I swear she must have a closet full of unflattering skin-tight sleeveless turtlenecks.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

She's gotten pretty tubby. Mostly in the jowl area. Her ass was always round.

[John]

That is ok RC. For some perverts out there, that wouldn't be a misspelling. But fortunately my reputation precedes me. So there is little doubt it was.

[Alice Bowie]

I think if I boycotted every CEO who I didn't agree with, I'd have nothing to buy.

[Episiarch]

Can't you make your own?

It's too much work. You could do it, but it's just not worth the equipment, time, and effort if you can get it from someone else.

DO NOT MENTION RACHAEL R... R...

I can't say it.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes.

Giada, okay. I don't get attraction to RR. Not that I have an opinion, because I'm married to my own chef/babe.

[Pro Libertate]

You know what I'd respect? Someone who could make their own extra virgin olive oil in their own home.

[?]

thick waste

It's EVOOily, too.

[Old Italian Guy]

"little mozzarella balls"

Racist!

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Giada is pretty hot, I guess. Am I the only person in the world that thinks her head is three sizes too big for her body? I'd still pipe her, though. Let's be honest.

[Mike Laursen]

Joshua will come crawling back. After all, Whole Foods is a monopoly, right?

[Geoff]

Giada puts me in cleavage-hypnosis when she uses a wire whisk! It is also distracts me from here massive head, which I personally shouldn't be mocking.

[Pro Libertate]

You're only hurting yourself in aligning with the Tubby One Who Cannot Cook.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

I hope she doesn't read H&R. She'll prolly cry herself to sleep tonight on her 'uge pillah.

[Xeones]

I never found she-who-shall-not-be-named attractive in any way. Giada... ok, but she has way too many teeth for a human mouth. Like Pro L, i married a skilled cook, though i myself am no slouch in the kitchen.

[John]

"That is why I personally cringe when I hear EVOO in that upstate NY pseudo-canadian accent. I swear she must have a closet full of unflattering skin-tight sleeveless turtlenecks."

And don't forget very unflattering bras. She doesn't have a bad body. Not a great one, but not a bad one. But wears totally unflattering clothes.

I don't mind Rachel. Her recipies are pretty good some of them. Also, she causes the foodies heads to explode. So she can't be all bad.

Really though, if you have to watch a cooking show, you should at least get a little eye candy to go with it. Rachel doesn't really fit the bill. Sandra Lee and Devin Alexander at least give you something to look at, even though Sandy can't cook her way out of a paper bag and has to be someone's girlfriend.

[Responsible American]

Xenoes You like that word Racist...It so worn out, so Johnnie Cochran. Try something that's more "in" like Reverse Discrimination...much more hip and relevant.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Reverse Discrimination == Discrimination

[John]

"Giada is pretty hot, I guess. Am I the only person in the world that thinks her head is three sizes too big for her body? I'd still pipe her, though. Let's be honest."

No, everyone notices that. But when a woman has that tight of a body and tits that are that nice, she can get away with having a big head.

[PantsFan]

Giada has a huge head. She is like a walking bobble-head doll.

That is all.

[Kyle Jordan]

"I don't mind Rachel. Her recipies are pretty good some of them. Also, she causes the foodies heads to explode. So she can't be all bad."

Once again, I'm with you here John.

[hmm]

God I'm a loser unsophisticated redneck. I see EVOO and the default is EVO, as in Mitsubishi.

[Xeones]

Xenoes You like that word Racist...It so worn out, so Johnnie Cochran. Try something that's more "in" like Reverse Discrimination...much more hip and relevant.

RACIST!

Also, Johnnie Cochran is dead. LIFEIST!

[Geoff]

Spot on John. My mom has convinced me over the years that Ina Gartner is probably the best cook. Consistently cranking out some good recipes.

[Pro Libertate]

John,

She causes foodies' heads to explode because she doesn't know jack about cooking. And she's part of the Oprah stable, which is prima facie evidence of your unsuitability in life.

Giada is attractive. She's just short.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

No, everyone notices that. But when a woman has that tight of a body and tits that are that nice, she can get away with having a big head.

...or speeding, or raping 6th graders, or having a stillborn fetal conjoined twin stuck to the side of her head. I think we are in agreement here.

[The Angry Optimist]

Are we not men? We are EVOO...

[John]

Actually, the woman who can cook on TV is the fat one from the Hamptons, the barefoot contessa. That woman didn't get to be a size 18 by not knowing how put together a meal. She is always making stuff for her husband, who ends every episode with the same "yeah so what she is fat, she is loaded and cooks like this" look on his face.

[Kyle Jordan]

"God I'm a loser unsophisticated redneck. I see EVOO and the default is EVO, as in Mitsubishi."

NO! EVO is one thing and one thing ONLY...

Steve Vai's main guitar.

Period.

[Episiarch]

You know what I'd respect? Someone who could make their own extra virgin olive oil in their own home.

I had a friend who had relatives in Italy who owned an olive farm. They came to visit him in the US and brought him, as a gift, several bottles of their first press--true, we-take-the-best-for-ourselves first press--and he cracked one for a dinner one time.

Holy shit. I've never had olive oil, even the super-gourmet stuff here, that tasted like that. The aroma and flavor were unreal. The bread we had it with wasn't even very good but it didn't matter.

Are we not men? We are EVOO...

Monkey men all!

[Urkobold?]

NIGELLA LAWSON MAKES THE URKOBOLD WANT TO HAVE CARNAL RELATIONS WITH FOOD.

[Geoff]

John..thats exactly who I was talking about.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Look, hands down the hottest tv cook is Nigella Lawson. Can I get a witness? Use bing.com to google her. Solid.

[Old Italian Guy]

"Giada has a huge head. She is like a walking bobble-head doll."

Big head, big mouth.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Beat me to it.

[Pro Libertate]

Dude, I love the olive. My wife and I consume quarts of olive oil a week, easily. She just did a thing with some slow-roasted tomatoes, a million cloves of garlic, some fresh herbs, and, yes, olive oil that was de-licious.

[John]

"John..thats exactly who I was talking about."

She is awsome. And she never makes a low fat anything. But she really knows how to cook.

And I forgot about Nigella. If you look up force of nature in the dictionary, you will find a picture of her rack. OMG that woman is built.

[Kyle Jordan]

Ina rocks. She's the first person I ever saw make an "Arnold Palmer". I drink them all the time now.

[DanD]

"joshua" sounds like a tremendous douche and I know little about him besides, but I picture him as having a plump, tender, incredibly punchable face.

And I'm snobbish about punchable faces.

[sage]

Use bing.com to google her.

Someone at Microsoft just soiled themselves.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

So you haven't seen the video, then?

[Michael]

Skimming over some of Joshua's other posts left me wondering what it would take to get people like him to ever question Dear Leader. My guess is that Kerlikowske would have to suddenly initiate a nationwide crackdown on people that get high on the smell of their own farts.

[Fluffy]

Giada = short, no waist, gigantic tits that cleave to one another like Katrina refugees on a roof. What's not to love? You could hose all that makeup off her and make her hold her nails in turpentine for half an hour and she'd be fine.

I like Ina too. Her house is the star of her show, though, as far as I am concerned, just like Giada's tits are the star of her show.

[John]

When you type the name Nigella lawson into google one of the autofill option is Nigella Lawson's Breasts. That is funny. She is hot but I think like 50. Devin Alexander is a nice younger alternative.

[Kyle Jordan]

Now y'all done it. Bringing Nigella into it.

First of all, she's just fucking gorgeous. It's that accent though. Dear lord, that somewhat haughty and slightly superior tone with the racey words and knowing looks.....

Great, now I'm hungry AND horny. Thanks a lot.

[The Angry Optimist]

First hit in Google Images.

[Urkobold?]

NIGELLAFEST!!!!!!!!!!!

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

sage:

for your enjoyment, a take on the bing commercial

[John]

Speaking of accents Kyle,

Have you ever seen the British dog dominatrix they have on the Animal planet? She is this 5'10 thin brit chick who is always wearing high heeled knee high boots. She shows up to help people train their dogs. Inevitably she keeps saying things like "naughty" in this high end British Accent. There is something really wrong but compelling about that show.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

TAO

image was VERBOTEN

[hmm]

Well, at least he posted my dissenting statement. Kudos to him for that.

"looks like it's whole foods for dinner tonight." @2:12

[kinnath]

The real irony of this thread, of course, is that Joshua is "a gay New Yorker".

[Brandybuck]

After eight years of McChimpy and a conservative movement that can't find a clue with both hands and a mirror, you would think the liberals would be riding high. Yet they're in a spiral of destruction of their own making. Pathetic.

It's like winning the lottery but defaulting on your mortgage because you never paid it.

[The Angry Optimist]

FLFW - it had Giada looking like a howler monkey on an "inspirational poster"

Caption: ENTHUSIASM: You're at a 10. We need you at about a 7.

[alan]

"Giada is pretty hot, I guess. Am I the only person in the world that thinks her head is three sizes too big for her body? I'd still pipe her, though. Let's be honest."

No, everyone notices that. But when a woman has that tight of a body and tits that are that nice, she can get away with having a big head.

Amen, brothers.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Must find this

[John]

Brandybuck,

All Obama had to do was show up and say a few meaningless catch phrases everyone once in a while and not fuck anything up. The bar was pretty low. He was handed a job where he really could have gotten away with doing nothing and been re-elected. But NO, McHopey had to buy his own hype and go about re-designing the country. Dumbass.

[FermatsLastFlameWar]

Got it.

[Craig]

Once the Whole Foods boycotters get their wish and we have single-payer groceries, they can all complain about something else while they wait in their Soviet-style bread lines.

We'll all be freegans then.

[Xeones]

One of my favorite Achewood character blogs is the one where serial killer Nice Pete vists the home of she-who-shall-not-be-named.

[Enough About Palin]

http://www.usmagazine.com/files/rachel-ray-b_0.jpg

[John]

Yeah, Rachel looked good in FHM. But she was younger and thinner then. And they are kind of proof, the photographers in magazines like that can make most women look good.

[alan]

"I don't mind Rachel. Her recipies are pretty good some of them. Also, she causes the foodies heads to explode. So she can't be all bad."

Rachel Ray reminds me of a hot girl from Long Island I dated in the day. Her stereotypically mic brother ruined any chance of that going any where though. Exactly the same voice.

[Kyle Jordan]

John,

No I haven't seen this show. Though, I feel compelled to do so now. Thanks for the heads up.

[The Angry Optimist]

No one's thought to call Rachael Ray TEH TERRORIST yet?

[Pro Libertate]

Just one more reason she should be imprisoned.

[John]

Kyle

It is called "Its me or the Dog" and woman's name is Victoria Stilwell. She just reaks of English head mistress naughtiness.

[bubba]

EVOO makes me think of Rachel Ray dipped in chocolate. In a good way.

Freegan makes me think of a recent episode of The Goode Family:

http://www.fancast.com/tv/The-Goode-Family/100177/episodes/Freeganomics/700574
The Goodes quickly realize the Freegan might be nothing more than a freeloader, but have trouble getting him to leave.

[John]

Pro,

My wife uses several of her recipes and they are good. She can to cook. The only people who think she can't are foodies who are appalled that she is using EVOO when VOO would work better because of its lower smoke point, the philistine.

[alan]

No one's thought to call Rachael Ray TEH TERRORIST yet?

Read about the health authoritarian official in Panama City who got canned for being an asshole? Cheers to Florida. There are days where you still have got it.

[hmm]

Bourdaine > Ray to infinity

It's pretty funny when he rails on her.

[Kyle Jordan]

John,

Thank you. The quick Google and YouTube search turned up some great stuff.

[MNG]

I think R. Ray is totally hot.

[SugarFree]

Personally, I was always waiting for the day the stupid hippies figured out Mackey was a libertarian. Of course they shit their pants. A) They love TEH OUTRAGE and B) The human body wasn't design to actually take in that amount of fiber.

Ina made this cream-poached chicken and morels dish one time that was insane. At least she got big the right way, not a car full of McDonald wrappers.

[Kyle Jordan]

Bourdain is funnier than hell.

[MNG]

She looks like she'd be fun in more rooms than just the kitchen...

[John]

"Bourdaine > Ray to infinity

It's pretty funny when he rails on her."

Bourdaine does kick ass. And his show is great. Since he was exectutive chef at La Halles in New York, he apparently can cook. But that said, he doesn't exactly teach you how to cook. He just goes around the world eating and making smart ass remarks. Makes for great TV, but not really much good to help you fix dinner.

[John]

I would like to see the great Anthony Bourdain Gorden Ramsey throwdown. Bourdain would kick his ass.

[MNG]

Again, I thought libertarians burnt the Whole Foods CEO at the stake when he dared suggest that corporations may have some social responsibility outside maximization of shareholder dollars in Reason a few years back.

[Geoff]

Yes, the first Google image hit for Nigella does say it all.

[MNG]

Ahh, here it is!

http://www.reason.com/news/show/32239.html

It pays to be a long time subscriber with a good memory...

[Pro Libertate]

MNG,

This strange perversion should be thrown in your face whenever you support liberal positions around here. "Yeah, but you like R..... R..".

Opening the discussion to TV food personalities, I like Alton Brown and still like Emeril. The latter really does some great dishes, and I eat at one of his restaurants about once a year (over in Orlando).

[Pro Libertate]

MNG,

So what? First, you have some perverse, inhuman desire for that pestilence of the kitchen.

Second, so we disagree with him on one issue and agree on another.

[John]

Emeril is so annoying. He is like Rachal Ray if she were a fat hairy Portugese dude. For shame Pro.

[John]

network.nature.com/.../2009/03/06/surreal-estate

Check out the nigela shot in the comments there. Wow.

[Geoff]

I like Martha Stewart better than RR. She was a looker back in days...decades before I was born.

[MNG]

I like Alton Brown too, but not for the same reasons I like Ms. Ray.

[Pro Libertate]

Annoying? So the hell what? He's annoying and Bourdain's an asshole. But they can both cook.

[John]

I like Martha's smart ass daughter and her fat friend. They do the MST 3000 verson of home shows on Fine Living. It is hysterical.

[SugarFree]

Oh, poor Joshua

Favorite Music

* Movie Scores
* Broadway Musicals
* Classic Disco

Favorite Books

* Wicked
* Harry Potter
* The Historian
* The Last Templar
* The Da Vinci Code
* Angels & Demons
* Harry Bosch
* The Golden Compass
* Lord of the Rings
* Tales of the City

Your musical taste is a mockery of gay men everywhere. Why didn't just say: Streisand, Streisand, Streisand.

But your book selection is... just... wow. Maybe if you were a teenager... but at 45 this is the reading list of a fucking moron. No wonder you don't have a job. I doubt you could even bag groceries at a Whole Foods. "Er, duh... I pour bleach on oranges?"

I swear, if I didn't already know they have the same thoughts like some commie hive mind, I'd think that was Tony The Troll's blog.

[MNG]

http://www.rachaelraypictures.com/rachael_ray_pictures/TV_Stills/image31.htm

Who wouldn't hit that Pro?

You and Tony I guess 😉

[Pro Libertate]

MNG,

My views are on record.

I forgive you slightly for your completely heterosexual love of Alton Brown. Good Eats is one of the only shows I catch semi-regularly.

[Kyle Jordan]

Alton Brown is great. I have about 40 percent of the HD on my DVR used up with Good Eats episodes. I watch that show like I watch a regular TV show.

Emeril is good too. I miss Mario. Mario is badass.

[SugarFree]

I swear I am not kidding. I once refused to rehire a student after summer break because he talked about how attractive he thought Ray was. He was also a sociopath, but it was 90% the Ray thing.

[John]

I agree with you MNG. Why the hell someone would let their taste in cooking get in the way of a good piece of ass is beyond me. If I were single and ran into Rachel, I would tell her she is the best cook on the planet.

[John]

"I swear I am not kidding. I once refused to rehire a student after summer break because he talked about how attractive he thought Ray was. He was also a sociopath, but it was 90% the Ray thing."

You know it is illegal for you other team types to descriminate against us heterosexuals.

[JB]

And you can't get beer or wine at grocery stores in MD nor DC.

You can get beer and wine at the Whole Foods on 14th & P. Though Leftists galore inhabit that store.

[SugarFree]

When I got my Series 3 TiVo, I upgraded the HD on the Series 1 and I only use it to store Good Eats episodes. I have them all.

[Pro Libertate]

John,

The point is that she is neither. And to think the commenters here used to have taste.

SugarFree,

You just moved up three notches on my secret Hit & Run list. Viking Moose will send you some extra virgin olive oil.

[Kyle Jordan]

"When I got my Series 3 TiVo, I upgraded the HD on the Series 1 and I only use it to store Good Eats episodes. I have them all."

Nice! I'm hoping to have the spare cash eventually to buy all the DVDs.

[Pro Libertate]

Good Eats and Mythbusters could be a network for me.

[Kyle Jordan]

"Good Eats and Mythbusters could be a network for me."

Excellent call.

Mmmm, Kari.....

[John]

Good Eats is a great show. My wife and I use our DVR to watch it like every night. My entire DVR is Good eats and Top Gear.

[Sandi]

I took a shit in Rachel Rae's pool once.

[hmm]

sugary shit that will kill you and blowing crap up.

Now that's a network.

[Rhywun]

Joshua rides a bus and, it appears, is fond of government handouts. I suspect he is on welfare enjoying the rewards others earned through their labors. Josh, next time your in the grocery store buying your organic apples take a moment to shake hands and thank one of the employees there who paid for it.

I want to hear the twirl in your mustache when you say that!

[SugarFree]

I try to keep the Series 3 clean, but I've watch the 2nd season of Californication 7 or 8 times. Cannot. Delete.

[PantsFan]

http://achewood.com/index.php?date=01072008

[alan]

MNG | August 14, 2009, 3:38pm | #
http://www.rachaelraypictures.com/rachael_ray_pictures/TV_Stills/image31.htm

Who wouldn't hit that Pro?

You and Tony I guess 😉

I'm on record, Ray is hot. I can't resist lips like hers that are totaly made for oral.

[Pro Libertate]

When House gets canceled some day, I want Hugh Laurie to take the character and do some kind of medical show. Good Eats with an cranky twist. Oh, and for medicine, not food.

That, or I'd like for Christoper Walken to do that cooking show for real.

Sandy gets some extra virgin olive oil as well!

[alan]

Sandi | August 14, 2009, 3:47pm | #
I took a shit in Rachel Rae's pool once.

Did you record the event and post it at 4chan?

[alan]

Episiarch | August 14, 2009, 1:48pm | #
Naga, where else am I going to get Spanish extra virgin olive oil, raw milk Gorgonzola, and frozen mahi mahi burgers?

Epi, If I ever go freegan, I hanging out on the corner of your residence.

[Isaac Bartram]

MNG

Again, I thought libertarians burnt the Whole Foods CEO at the stake when he dared suggest that corporations may have some social responsibility outside maximization of shareholder dollars in Reason a few years back.

...so we disagree with him on one issue and agree on another.

I'm not sure how much actual siagreement there is.

Some of us just think his "social responsibility" shtick is his way of maximizing shareholder dollars. Milton Friedman said as much.

Won't be for long if he starts pissing off his "progressive" customers though.

Wait til they find out what a union busting son of a bitch he is.

Actually this hurricane will blow over in no time. That is if it even builds up past the tropical low stage. I'm with Lamar that most of WF shoppers don't care about Mackey's politics.

[Isaac Bartram]

"I'm not sure how much actual disagreement there is."

[Pro Libertate]

Isaac,

There's plenty of disagreement about his unclean and morally empty R.R. fetish.

[Isaac Bartram]

For the record I go to Whole Foods for the beer selection, the sausage and most especially the Buffalo Burgers at $6.99/lb.

Since I can't shoot my own buffalo, they are the next best thing.

[Episiarch]

Bourdain is the man but I've never been thrilled with the few dishes he ends up cooking on his show. Maybe if he did a few more that would change.

Mario Batali is a fucking master but he's sort of a douche too. All his recipes call for obscure shit that I would even have trouble finding in NYC. WE'RE NOT IN ITALY, MARIO.

Rachael R... is a horrible loud chubby creature thing that makes low grade chum for food. That is all, I have spoken.

Ming Tsai was cool back in the day and made some great East/West fusion stuff. He is also a champion squash player.

I'm off to Whole Foods now. Seriously.

[Isaac Bartram]

Wait, John Mackey has a Rachel Ray fetish?

That's it I'm never taking the bus to Whole Foods again!

[WWJGD]

No Reservations really isn't a cooking show tho. But if you pay attention, you can find cookbooks/recipes by the people he interviews and some are far out but pretty interesting. Bourdain really wouldn't fit for a cooking show, frankly.

[Petes a Pie]

I wrote to Whole Foods to tell them how much I appreciated John Mackey's ideas. I also signed up for their email list so I can receive the sales flyer. I don't shop there often because it is not in a location that is convenient for me, but I will make a point of getting there more often now. Fyi-they have great ahi tuna and the cheddar burgers from the butcher counter are the best.

[Geoff]

I got a wok for Christmas when I was 8 because of Yan Can Cook. That dude is the man.

On a side know, it is very likely that the FrugalGourmet, Jeff Smith, is living under a bridge in Florida these days.

[Geoff]

My error. He fortunately hasn't been with us since 2004.

[SugarFree]

Geoff,

Smith's Cooks American was the fist cookbook I ever bought. And I still use his Immigrant Ancestors all the time.

[JB]

I also signed up for their email list so I can receive the sales flyer.

Great idea. Just did the same.

[MeYow]

Fluffy | August 14, 2009, 2:10pm | #

Trader Joe's sucks.

It occupies less the "gourmet foodie stuff" niche and more the "Ad Aware I don't want to buy anything with a brand name" niche. But now it has become so large that Trader Joe's has itself become a brand name, so the customers trying to step outside the corporate branding system by shopping there are pushing around tiny little half-size shopping carts of FAIL.

--I almost spit a mouthfull of Puffins cereal and soy milk all over my Life Is Good t-shirt when I read this...lol I frequent the local TJs and that spin you put on my pathetic life was awesomely awakening. Thank you. 🙂

[Pro Libertate]

Martin Yan is great fun. I also liked Justin Wilson.

Episiarch,

Mario Batali did some sort of show with. . .some blond scion of an acting family whose name escapes me (wait, I remember: Gwyneth Paltrow). Anyway, it was in Spain. I didn't see the show, but I did read the cookbook. Pretty good food. I was especially intrigued by the "Spanish" toast recipe (Spanish French toast) that used reduced grape juice or wine as the syrup.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Xeones | August 14, 2009, 2:50pm | #

Like Pro L, i married a skilled cook, though i myself am no slouch in the kitchen.

Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch.

[John]

Pro,

How do you do a cooking show with an anorexic? What did Paltrow talk about how to eat a live tape worm or how to properly make yourself throw up after you eat?

[Me]

Kyle Jordan | August 14, 2009, 3:40pm | #

Alton Brown is great.

If you want to spend a half-hour learning how to make popcorn, yeah.

[Tom]

Well, I did my part: I just returned from my first-ever visit to a Whole Foods store, where I spent more than $70.

I still like Kroger better because the single chicks there smile at you when you pass in the aisles; the women shopping at Whole Foods glared when I even tried to make eye contact.

But I'll definitely be rooting for Whole Foods now. (Thanks for the heads-up, Joshua!)

[Xeones]

Ming Tsai was cool back in the day and made some great East/West fusion stuff.

Agreed. From personal experience, his chicken and carrots in coconut-molasses sauce kicks ass.

Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch.

Not in the kitchen, though, sonny.

[MeYow]

I think Whole Foods is a great store for that hard to get stuff and honestly the produce is always very good. My only real beef with them is that they insist on wallpapering and signing the whole store with this bullshit about "supporting local growers". But then all the signs with the name and price of the food either say South Africa or New Zealand on them.** I mean, dam, could you be less local? Was there no other PLANET to get food from? How does no one notice this and say WhereTF is all the local food you're talking about?!

**I am not in South Africa or New Zealand.

[Pro Libertate]

Me,

Shut the hell up, you fascist. Alton Brown is like a colossus bestriding your prostrate body.

John,

Like I said, I didn't see it. From the pictures in the cookbook, though, it looks like they all (there were others in the Mario posse) drove around Spain and ate a lot. Well, maybe Mario did, anyway.

Okay, here's a link.

[DanD]

I got gelato at the Whole Foods in Nashville. When I lifted up my spoon for the first bite, there was a long blond hair protruding from the icy goodness. I was right in front of the gelato cabinet, and I (good-naturedly) asked the obvious culprit "are hair nets bad for the planet or something?"

She called me an asshole.

I LOL'd and never went back. Seems like a cool place to shop, but it's such a zoo every time I go.

[Rhywun]

Wait til they find out what a union busting son of a bitch he is.

Is he really? Then how did he get a store open in Manhattan?

[T]

Damn. Now I'm hungry and I have no idea what to cook for dinner.

[Drunkenatheist]

I used to think it was hilarious when I shopped at Whole Paycheck all the time. A bunch of former friends would give me shit to no end about the decision because I was being a bourgeois, omg! union busting! fucker. They preferred to shop at the grocery stores of the people, aka: totally awesome union places like Shoprite.

Whole Foods, the same company that starts their shittiest positions (cart runner) ranging from $10-$13 an hour.

Shoprite, the same company that starts their check-out clerk positions at $7.50 an hour, even if you have years of retail experience and a Bachelors degree.

I'd much rather shop at the terrible, union busting company that treats and trains their employees much better than a union grocery store that seems more concerned with collecting union dues than actually doing shit for their employees. To quote one of my boyfriend's favorite quotes, "the best way to union bust is to TREAT YOUR EMPLOYEES WELL."

These ex-friends are also blind Democrats who have undoubtedly become full-fledged Zombamas. To be honest, I'm really shocked that there are apparently enough socialized healthcare lovin' Whole Foods shoppers to make a boycott effective. And by "shocked," I mean, "do they understand how a boycott works?!?!??!" Most Zombamas won't set foot in the store because it might destroy their faux working class/poor cred and they couldn't have that! If they did, they'd lose all legitimacy in telling poor people what's best for them!

[Episiarch]

Damn. Now I'm hungry and I have no idea what to cook for dinner.

Go to Whole Foods, and you'll find more than you wanted to spend.

[JB]

By the way, I recommend contacting Whole Foods to let them know your thoughts:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/contact_submit.php

Probably a good idea to balance out all the hate-filled hypocrites calling for a boycott.

[Vanessa]

Was thinking of taking one of my occasional trips to Whole Foods tonight anyway. After reading about Joshua, it's confirmed.

[T]

Go to Whole Foods, and you'll find more than you wanted to spend.

It's way out of the way for the trip home.

[aaron]

From way up at the beginning:

They have disappointed me, though, by not having fresh rabbit or duck.

That's because they refuse to carry any D'Artagnan (one of the main purveyors of things like fresh rabbit) products, because D'Artagnan sells fois gras.

[Vanessa]

Trader Joe's is a great place to shop for the cheap and lazy. Their deli and frozen meals are tolerable for taking to work for lunch and they don't do damage to my digestive tract the way Stouffer's and similar brands do.

[greenish]

I'm a little surprised, I've been looking through some left-wing blogs and such, and not finding too much like "I disagree with his editorial, but maybe he's just mistaken and not evil" or "He's just the CEO, why punish the whole company for the opinion of one guy?" Only two so far:

Here's one:
In principle, I don't believe there should be economic boycots based on political speech that doesn't rise to the level of hate speech or the like.

And here:
Well, I gotta give him props for one thing.

He definitely places personal principle and integrity over financial concerns. 😀

Wouldn't we all be proud if a Progressive person did that? Wouldn't we applaud and call for support if a Progressive placed personal integrity and fidelity to their principles over the health of their business?

So why, when a Conservative does it, do we take umbrage?

[Clich? Bandit]

1. Rachel R.'s recipes, while fantastic and tasty, will make you fatter than Ina. My wife and I tried the 365 No Repeats one year and gained 15 pounds the first week...NO SHIT!.
score = 5.5, I'd still hit it.

2. Giada is hot and super rich and daddy got her a cooking show. In all fairness she is not a great cook and her annoying presentation style kills me. But some of her stuff is good.
score = 7.5, Totally hit it.

3. Alton Brown is by far the most interesting. He ACTUALLY teaches you shit you can bring up at cocktail parties to annoy people. I love it.
score = 8.5, Would not hit it.

4. Bourdain vs. Ramsey. Considering Bourdain is an extremely accomplished chef and Ramsey has mild accomplishments Bourdain would kick his ass if he were sober.
score = 9 Bourdain
score = 6 Ramsey

5. Emeril is a living god. I love his recipes BUT who the flying hell can afford to take 30 pounds of prime beef and stuff it with TWO lobster tails and then top the dish off with a white truffle risotto...SERIOUSLY. I am not paying 2000 dollars for a meal.

6. Iron Chef meets Mythbusters with a side of Good Eats...I'm down with that.

Live long and prosper

[Clich? Bandit]

NEVER EVER EVER go to Whole Foods without a list unless you have a Black (racist?) Visa. Impulse buying at WFs can cause bank failures in some eastern states.

Words to live by

[Joe M]

"So why, when a Conservative does it, do we take umbrage?"

He's not even a conservative.

[C. Grape]

I plan to reward Mr. Mackey with even more visits to his fine (if pricey) store.

[Nipplemancer]

i have to drive a total of 12 miles to my nearest WF, because it's 12 miles as the crow flies in northern new jersey, that's about 45 minutes of driving, at least, on congested poorly designed ancient highways. There are however half a dozen within a mile of me, so i'm never going to whole foods unless i need something obscure and non-perishable.

[aaron]

Considering Bourdain is an extremely accomplished chef and Ramsey has mild accomplishments Bourdain would kick his ass if he were sober.

Ramsey is a FAR more accomplished chef than Bourdain. Bourdain is much cooler though.

[Walter]

I didn't used to shop at Whole Foods; but I will now.

[JW]

You can in Maryland, at exactly one grocery store per county. How much money do think that little privelege goes for? In Maryland government it is always first and foremost about stealing.

Yes, John, I do know that, but it's so pathetic that it wasn't worth mentioning.

It drives me nuts when I walk into the Pentagon City Costco to this massive wall of inexpensive beer and wine, knowing that the one 10 minutes from my house is dry.

[JW]

Giada, okay. I don't get attraction to RR.

[JW]

Giada, okay. I don't get attraction to RR.

Bah. Take 2.

Me neither. But now that you wrote 'Giada', I'm sitting in a pool of my own drool.

Fucking Pavlov.

[Nipplemancer]

am i the only one with a paula deen/butter fetish?

[perilisk]

Yes

[alan]

am i the only one with a paula deen/butter fetish?

She comes off as a big phony -- over doing the Southern Gran-dame thing to the point of extreme annoyance.

[Mike Laursen]

Wait..what...he didn't do that?

No, he's said what he thinks several times. Liberals just haven't paid any attention until now.

[Jason Straetz]

Joshua is an ass!!

And as for for you Mr Lent. Why do you imply that he supports our "expensive wars"? Because he believes in free-market reforms in health care. I did not realize those two polices were so similar. I am enlightened and you are a jerk.

[Nipplemancer]

she's a product of her own myth/pr machine. most of her recipes suck. i just felt the old broad needed some representation.

on Giada - everyone focuses on her abnormally large head, but that is only enhanced by her cartoonishly narrow neck. How he's lived this long without becoming a quadrapeligic amazes me.

[Mike Laursen]

Again, I thought libertarians burnt the Whole Foods CEO at the stake when he dared suggest that corporations may have some social responsibility outside maximization of shareholder dollars in Reason a few years back.

Well, it was mostly just T.J. Rodgers. That would be one libertarian, not libertarians, and even he has probably eaten his share of groceries from Whole Foods.

[Mike Laursen]

Bourdaine > Ray to infinity ... It's pretty funny when he rails on her.

Bourdain keeps running into the problem that now that he is somewhat famous he keeps running into the folks he has ragged on for years (Emeril, Sandra Lee, She-who-shall-not-be-named), and they all turn out to be nice to him.

It's taken the wind out of his sarcasm sails. Like if one were to meet Lonewacko in person, only to find out he's extremely kind to animals and small children.

[Mr. Chartreuse]

I think R. Ray is totally hot.

Well, I finally found something that I can agree about with MNG.

[Kyle Jordan]

"am i the only one with a paula deen/butter fetish?"

When she first started and was a bit calmer with the more typical recipes, she reminded me of my mom and the way she cooks sometimes. I like Paula but she can be a bit much.

[Wade]

I actually will go to that store now that I see a good CEO I'm sure he runs a great company

[Eric H]

Like if one were to meet Lonewacko in person, only to find out he's extremely kind to animals and small children.

Some might say too kind....

[jack dumas]

good for the Boycotters. the right wings has lost the right to cry about tolerance. The boycotters are excercising their right. I hope more people join in.

[John C. Randolph]

Seems to me that as a business proposition, Joshua's not the kind of customer you really want. Whole Foods wants the guilt-tripping yuppies who believe that "organic" means something other than "more expensive for inferior quality", not the impoverished, bus-riding hippies who will boycott them over the CEO writing a heretical op-ed.

-jcr

[JB]

Hey dumas(s):

I am glad less people like you will be in the stores; it will be more enjoyable when I shop there.

[JP]

No one is telling Mackey that he can't say what he wants. He's free to say whatever the hell he wants. And the customers are free to say, "y'know what? We don't want to support a person like you" and go elsewhere. Some of you on here have said things like, "I've never shopped at Whole Foods before, but after hearing Mackey's comments, I think I'll start." How is that any different? Aren't the boycotters free to shop wherever they want? Aren't you?

If your store of choice came out with left-wing statements, chances are many of you would be boycotting them as well. Look at the Dixie Chicks boycott from a few years back -- that's something caused by your side. Or what about the Freedom Fries debacle? Your side again.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

[drunkenatheist]

If your store of choice came out with left-wing statements, chances are many of you would be boycotting them as well. Look at the Dixie Chicks boycott from a few years back -- that's something caused by your side. Or what about the Freedom Fries debacle? Your side again.

O rly?

You might want to wiki "Freedom Fries" and look up who was behind it; you might also want to refresh your memory on what prompted the anti-Dixie Chicks shiz. (HINT: It was an anti-Iraq war statement.)

[Lamarck\'s Giraffe]

JP would have made better use of his time learning the difference between Republicans and libertarians that scolding everyone about glass houses.

Alton Brown rocks and just looking at Paula Dean disturbs me, and not in the hot, megadontia Gianda way. I'm pretty confident pure butter pumps through her veins.

[The Craptain]

Jesus, what bunch of pretentious hipster twits.

[Lisa Stone]

I think WF should lower their prices.

[Mike Laursen]

Aren't the boycotters free to shop wherever they want?

Absolutely, and we're free to make merciless fun of some sad sack who is boycotting Whole Foods for asinine reasons.

[Mike Laursen]

WTF. There are claims all over the liberal blogs that somebody from Whole Foods, not Mackey, sent out emails apologizing for Mackey's editorial. Shit, now, I'm might have to boycott Whole Foods.

[Mike Laursen]

Hmm, looks like what is being quoted is a standard reply email being sent out to anyone who emailed Whole Foods complaining about the editorial.