The Whole Foods Market, which opened in March at North and Sheffield, is the new hangout for the politically correct. They’re loading their shopping carts with natural pet foods, nontoxic cleaning agents, recycled paper products, naturally brewed beers, and wine from organic grapes. They’re buying nitrite-free, hormone-free, organically fed, free-range poultry, beef, lamb, and veal (all of the animals presumably committed suicide).
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They’re also getting an education from the in-house shopper’s guide, finding out why the store, which is part of the country’s largest chain of natural-food supermarkets (21 publicly owned stores), will not sell irradiated foods: nutrients are destroyed, long-term effects are unknown, and untested compounds are created that may be carcinogenic. They need the guide to decipher all the little tags on the produce: red for organically grown, green for biodynamically grown (organic using herbal preparations to “enhance soil and plant viability”), and orange for transitional (“meets organic growing standards but lacks either the required length of time for the land to have been free of chemical usage or completion of the certification process”). If they have absolutely no lives, they’re looking at the notarized affidavits.
The Quixotic Cafe, which is on the second floor, carries through the market’s theme with a juice bar and menu loaded with fresh, healthy choices. There are creative takes on soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, quesadillas, and burgers, many of which are also available downstairs in the deli. On each table are Dijon mustard; house-brand unsweetened, chemical-free canola mayonnaise made with lemon juice instead of vinegar; and a very good, sugarless ketchup that captures the essence of the tomatoes.
