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I have found the best place for beef jerky is here http://nationwidecandy.com/candy/items.asp?Cc=MEAT&Tp=&iTpStatus=1 They have most all the major types. I have now bought from them three times and am very satisfied. Does anyone else has have a favorite?

you can pick healthy choices... i can get crunchy tacos with carnitas, fajita veggies, lettuce, and medium salsa. all stuff that I know won't add a lot of calories (like rice, beans). My total for that is 410 calories.

I feel shy about taking pictures of food (I don't know why, but I feel like some sort of freak, the only person on the planet to do this, which is obviously nonsense), and only do so occasionally, but as long as other patrons are being strictly omitted from the images, and a flash isn't used, I don't think this is a problem. True, food is meant to be eaten, but sometimes it is also so impressive visually, I want to show a few friends, and I'll take a shot. I usually only move myself or the dish I'm shooting in order to ensure that other diners aren't in the shot. As long taking a picture or two is a brief, low-key incident, it seems fine.

It seems strange that any restaurant would ban even the taking of photos of the diners at one's own table, as this has been a longstanding tradition, and I can remember seeing this done even when I was a small child (in excellent restaurants), by people celebrating some special event; the waiter was often included in the shot. And let's not forget all those photos of dinners at all classes of restaurants that go back as far as the existence of the SLR camera, at least

On the other hand, use of the terms 'food porn' and 'foodie' should be punishable by law ;)

My 2 cents about all the people who mentioned high employee wages as a factor in the WF costs- my sister worked at WF for a long time, and she would regularly run in to coworkers doing her shopping at the inexpensive grocery store across the street. They may pay more than your average grocery store, but it's still not enough for the line-level employees to be able to afford to shop there!

Its been a while since this thread has been refreshed, but I would just like to add my two cents...

While reading many of the previous posts to the OP, I noticed that people were comparing Whole Foods to other grocers like Wegermans, TJ's, Fresh Market, etc. IMO, these are all "high-end" grocery stores: Grocers that offer high-quality artisan products and an aesthetically pleasing decor. In a nutshell, they are selling more than just groceries: they are selling a shopping experience. The classical music, the distinct aromas in the store, helpful staff, samples.... In business, this is called "branding". I think we all recognize, know (and love!) the Whole Foods brand, just as by comparison we know and recognize the Wal-mart brand as well.

But when you compare two high-end grocer's to one another, I would say its more of an apples-to-apples comparison than, say, comparing any one of those high-end grocers to a Safeway or Albertson's. Prices between grocers like New Seasons, Wild Oats, or Whole Foods are all going to be roughly the same because they all are targeting the same demographic with similar brands.

I think the reason some people are offended by Whole Foods is that they already are used to the prices at their "go-to" grocers. Like many people have said, items (even "staple" items) are typically 2-3 times more expensive than other grocers, and some people have a hard time justifying why anyone in their right mind would want to spend that much money on, for example, pasta or flour .... even if their is a good reason for it (organic, free-trade, sustainable, local, etc.).

Now, I love places like Whole Foods: Like many have said, they offer high-quality products, many of them organic, and a lot of stuff that I just can't find anywhere else. (I have recently read "The Omnivore's Dilemma", and it has really gotten me thinking about the health benefits of buying organic .... There really is a big difference, and not just in taste!). I was never a big "cheese" person, but I am always impressed by their charcuterie, and beer and wine selection.

The problem is that I just can't afford to do all of my shopping there. I would love if I could buy all of my groceries there, because I do see the difference in quality that these kinds of stores offer. But when balancing the checkbook with things I need to buy and things I would like to buy, I wish I could say groceries were a higher priority for me. When I grocery shop, I still tend to buy mostly staples: bulk items, produce, meat, etc. I try and not to buy any processed or frozen foods, limited canned or packaged items .... this has helped me stretch my food budget. But when even staple items are usually 3-4 times more expensive than my local WinCo, its hard to justify the expenses, ESPECIALLY now that "times are tough" (or so I'm told by the news everyday).

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these, so I can huff it all day!

Growing up in northern NY (not up state) it was soft drinks. Here in central NY ('cuse) it's soda.

I lived in southern california my whole life and always referred to it as soda but after moving to Ohio ant age 23 I am getting sucked into calling it pop...

i come from berkeley, where we called coca cola "the black waters of imperialism."

pop. and im curious... i live in the pittsburgh area, where we say pop, and pepsi has billboards every where just saying "pop". Where those of yousay soda, do they have "soda" billboards? every time i see one i wonder...

For centuries, the only breads available were sourdough breads. Commercial yeast is a rather new invention in relation to the history of bread. Why anyone would bad mouth sourdoughs,shows that they have no knowledge or respect for the art and science of bread baking.

I agree 100% with Jerzee--when there is Wegmans, there is no need for Whole Foods.

But I think the OP was getting at something that does really annoy me--I get it about shopping at Wegmans, too--for example, Wegmans has AWESOME deals but it also has expensive imported and natural goods that are not at bargain-basement prices. So sometimes people have the attitude 'omg! How can you shop there! Clotted cream from England is so expensive/organic flour costs more than regular.' To which I am like: 'omg! Don't buy it!'

It's like some people are offended by the sight of expensive food, even if there is a reason for it being expensive, like if it is imported or organic.

That said, I think WF gets guff because unlike Wegmans, it has no 'off brand' stuff that is cheap--like I can get generic swiffer replacements at Wegmans, but WF doesn't stock it because it's not green enough, and ditto other cleaning products I use, dog toys that aren't high-end, and so forth.

If I didn't have Wegmans I would definitely use WF but I would have to supplement it with another shopping trip to a less expensive store for paper towels and such.