Get to Know a Serious Eater.

chowchow23's Profile

Website:

Location:

About:

Favorite foods:

Last bite on earth:

The Ten Most Recent Posts By chowchow23

From Talk

Cause and Effect

Posted by chowchow23, May 11, 2008 at 9:55 AM

hi, i'm doing a paper on examining the effects the availability of food resources such as whole foods, trader joe's and farmer's markets and the increase in food prices, how that has effected on your purchases as a buyer. For example, i'm not near either of those supermarkets so i tend not to purchase organic food versus someone who might be close to a whole foods and is willing to buy food there versus the local supermarket like pathmark. So, if it isn't a bother, please answer the following:

1. what food resources/supermarkets are you near?
2. do you purchase organic or inorganic food because of your supermarket?
3. if you do not purchase organic, would you if a, for example, whole foods was nearby?
4. how has the increase in food affected your purchases?
5. are you in nyc, and if so, what neighborhood? for example, UES, UWS, etc [because i would like to group the different neighborhoods and see the link in food choices people make]
6. if you do not live in nyc, just type in what state you live in

thank you so much! :)

32 Comments

The Ten Most Recent Comments By chowchow23

From Talk

Cause and Effect

wow thank you guys but do keep the responses coming! i'm just ecstatic that so many of you have responded. if you would like to read the paper, just email me your email and the subject line write serious eats, and i'll email you the paper then. i must restate i am amazed and thankful all of you participated in the questionnaire! :)

my email is lyphesux2much@yahoo.com
thanks again!

chowchow23 at 9:39PM on 05/11/08

Responses to Comments by chowchow23

From Talk

Cause and Effect

Not to interrupt this very good post but, what and where is Whole Foods? Also, just out of curiosity blankplate, please share with me how you feed 3 people for a week for $60, I live in Philadelphia, not too far from you, and I must be doing something wrong.

stephie at 11:00PM on 05/16/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. Trader Joes, Henry's Farmer's Market (aka WIld Oats), Ralph's, Von's, Albertson's, many Latino markets.
2. I will buy organic if it is comparable in price and quality to conventional. I will pay slightly more if the produce is local.
3. N/A
4. Not really, there's only 2 of us.
5. N/A
6. CA

beth1 at 10:09PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. what food resources/supermarkets are you near?
Bruno's supermarket, Publix, Wal-mart, Fresh Market, World Market, a few small specialty shops

2. do you purchase organic or inorganic food because of your supermarket?
I try to buy more organic stuff, and am simply fortunate that grocery stores near me happen to have good organic selections.
3. if you do not purchase organic, would you if a, for example, whole foods was nearby?
QED.
4. how has the increase in food affected your purchases?
The number of "nice" meals i make versus "plain food" meals is going down; i cannot often afford specialty ingredients.
5. are you in nyc, and if so, what neighborhood? for example, UES, UWS, etc [because i would like to group the different neighborhoods and see the link in food choices people make]
6. if you do not live in nyc, just type in what state you live in
Alabama.

rasellers0 at 6:37PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. Rainbow Foods (mainstream discount supermarket like Shaws or Albertsons), Trader Joe's, the Wedge (medium sized organic supermarket), Whole Foods
2. Mostly inorganic, depends on where I'm shopping.
3. Whole Foods is too expensive, but I would shop more at Trader Joe's or my local organic market if they had as much selection as an inorganic market
4. Not so much yet because I'm not one to adhere to a budget (but I'm sure I'll suffer the consequences later)
5. no
6. Minnesota

LiveToEat at 1:56PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. In order of distance -- Gelsons, Whole Foods, Ralph's, Trader Joes (Although I go to Trader Joes more than any of them)
2. The main factor is price, I can get organic really anywhere.
3. No (see above)
4. It's not hugely affecting me, but I'm sure in being more frugal I buy less organic. Meats for example, I sometimes cheat and don't buy organic, even though I'd really like to.
5. Nope
6. CA -- Los Angeles

megannesta at 1:50PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. Tops is my closest market, but I also shop at Wegmans as well because it isn't too far out of the way on my ride home from work. In the summer I have my own produce, and shop at farmer's markets & farm stands...there are several close by.
2. I purchase both organic & inorganic....my supermarket does offer a decent organic selection, and often the price is comparable to conventional....I often do decide based on price.
3. n/a
4. I don't think the increase in price has effected my purchases as much as it has effected my use of the veggies I buy, and the waste factor. I'm much more aware of what is in my fridge, and I'm noticing alot less getting pushed to the back of the veggie drawer & becoming compost.
5. no
6. NY - upstate

mepolo at 1:10PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. The nearby grocery stores I frequent are Food Lion, Acme and Shop Rite. There's Pathmarks not to far away but I just don't like the produce there.

2. I'll admit although I like organic stuff in theory, I tend to buy whatever looks the freshest, and what works with what I have planned on making. If the grocery stores I went to had a wider variety of organic food, like whole foods and TJ's I would buy more organic stuff.

3. Absolutely! We try to make it to TJ's about every six weeks, and we buy organic when we go there. We also try to go to Farmer's Markets when they are open. But it isn't always convinient for us.

4. Sure, I noticed yesterday that the cinnamon sticks went up a whole dollar, but I am not complaining because even when we splurge and buy expensive bell peppers and and well whatever I want basically, I still end up spending about $60 a week, to feed 3 people, and that includes breakfasts and snacks (fruit). (Usually about 3 dinner meals a week). It SOOO much cheaper than eating out. And the prices going up doesn't exclude sales, strawberries (presumably non organic from florida) were 2 boxes for $4.

On another note, I may be wrong, but this is my theory. The people who's food bills are high and are getting higher, may be the people who buy lots of processed food like cookies and chips, produce may be expensive, but if you pair it with cheap pasta or beans, its all evens itself out.

6 Maryland Delaware border (Elkton, and Newark)

I hope this helps your research =) Let me know if you have any more questions.

blankplate at 1:09PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. what food resources/supermarkets are you near?
Chain stores Key Food and Met Foods, which are both really gross but ok for flour, butter and the like. I never buy produce at either. We have 2 little mom and pop produce markets within 3 blocks, and a fabulous Middle Eastern market, so that's where I shop mostly. Farmer's markets too. We used to belong to a CSA, but it was way too much food for the 2 of us. And we're getting Trader Joe's 3 blocks from us in a few months - I can't wait!!

2. do you purchase organic or inorganic food because of your supermarket?
I seek it out, but I don't buy everything organic. As many others have said, it's mostly by how things look and the prices.

3. if you do not purchase organic, would you if a, for example, whole foods was nearby?
N/A - I do often buy some things that are organic. We have Whole Foods but it's not convenient.

4. how has the increase in food affected your purchases?
I live in NYC, so it's always a food frenzy here. My husband and I are very healthy eaters, and we were before organic was trendy, so I don't think any increase in food has made a difference to us.

5. are you in nyc, and if so, what neighborhood? for example, UES, UWS, etc [because i would like to group the different neighborhoods and see the link in food choices people make]
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, baby! :)

6. if you do not live in nyc, just type in what state you live in

CookiePie at 10:28AM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. I'm a quick (well, half an hour) subway ride away from Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and the Union Square Greenmarket.
2. I buy 99% my produce from the greenmarket, buying organic whenever it's available - but I'm more likely to buy local conventional than non-local organic.
3. n/a
4. The increase in food prices hasn't changed my buying habits significantly; prices of organic and local food have gone up a little, but prices at the market seem mostly stable (e.g. while the price of eggs went up nationally a much ballyhooed 27% or something, the price of the local NY state eggs I buy at the greenmarket didn't change). Also, I don't eat meat, so I haven't been affected by the significant price changes in that area.
5. I live in Brooklyn, east side of Williamsburg.

Good luck with your project!

producestories at 9:31AM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Cause and Effect

1. frank's market, associated {but i rarely shop there, i shop near my office on union square or on the UWS}
2. i go out of my way to purchase organic whenever possible, so i mostly shop at whole foods, fairway upstairs, trader joe's or the greenmarket, and sometimes zabar's
3. n/a
4. i try to buy certain things at places that i know have the best quality for the best prices. for instance i always buy cheese and olive oil at zabar's or fairway and butter, yogurt, goat milk, nuts and dried fruit at trader joe's

5. hudson heights {washington heights west of broadway above 181}

cybercita at 11:41PM on 05/11/08