Is Whole Foods tofu really the answer?

There is an article in the new york times today here about how Whole Food is trying to groom its "Whole Paycheck" image during lean times. I have several thoughts about this article, and whole foods in general.


The interviewer points to a so-called "cheap" package of tofu for $1.50. This is not cheap. If you want cheap tofu, go to the asian market and get the same tofu for $0.35. The problem with Whole Foods, in my opinion, is that they have tied the organic movement to upscale shopping. They have made people think that organic food is only for people who drive Land Rovers and BMWs (not that there is anything wrong with that), as opposed to addressing more fundamental problems with our food supply.


There is plenty of good, organic whole food (no pun intended) at your local farmers market, but it comes with a price. You have to prepare it, and you have to know how to cook, and you have to get to the market when it is open.


I think that as our food chain continues to unravel, people will start to realize that the key to cheap foods is not the $1.50 packet of tofu at Whole Foods, but individual cooking skills and a greater public awareness of where to source inexpensive (not cheap) local food.


This website is addressing the first of these problems now, with cooing lessons and a search engine so people can get ideas and recipes when their own knowledge is exhausted. We are also working on another nifty little tool for sourcing food, but it wont be ready for a couple more months.


If you want to save some money on food, learn how to cook, and learn your local food sources. Then you can splurge on the $18/pound imported cheese every once in a while, and you can skip right over that whole foods tofu. Yuck :-p