This impressive tattoo incorporates the logo for Food Not Bombs. Photo by flickr user mulch.thief
Whether or not you’re participating in the current boycott of Whole Foods––nationwide, not just in Harbor East (1001 Fleet Street) and Mt. Washington (1330 Smith Avenue)––it’s not a bad time to acquaint yourself with some of Baltimore’s other health food stores. There are a slew of them, and while you can have too many crab chips, you can’t overdose on health. By definition. Personally, I don’t have anything against John Mackey, but I do prefer to shop local when I can. A short list:
1. OK Natural in Mount Vernon (11 W. Preston Street) is a sweet and efficient little operation. This is a good spot to drop by for a walking snack or for a few earth-conscious grocery supplements. Everything you’ll find here is tasty, and you’ll find a lot per square inch. It’s a little like the all-healthy version of the convenience store you lived off of that one semester in back college. You’ll be tempted to try, but it’s still not a good idea.
2. The Health Concern in Towson (28 W. Susquehanna Avenue) is one of those delicious cases in which it’s almost clear that they’re not really aware of the irony of their name, but then again you can’t be sure. Regardless, this is the place to go if you’re a believer in the increasingly popular use of herbal remedies for non-herbal maladies. They have a knowledgeable herbalist on staff, and in case you’re skeptical, you’ll find some nice, tangible hot soups, a salad bar, and plenty of local and organic produce. They’ve also got a website so unhelpful it’s basically an optical illusion.
3. Sunsplash in Forest Park (7006 Reistertown Road) is the source for your organic, vegan, health-oriented staples. The big basketful. And all right, so this store isn’t technically local; it’s owned by Natural Retail Group, which is owned by United Natural Foods, Inc., a massive international health-food conglomerate with billions in sales annually… but which is, you know, basically beneficent. So, still go to Sunsplash. Seriously, it’s cool. They’re the closest thing to a full-size healthy grocery store you’re going to find in Baltimore. And drop by on Thursdays for 10% off everything you get there.
Where do you shop when you’re tired of pork rinds?
Posted in: Baltimore User's Guide2 Comments
What is the problem with Whole Foods? I need to be educated.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s not really any problem with Whole Foods. John Mackey, who’s the CEO of WFM, recently wrote an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal with his recommendations about national healthcare. Because in his piece he criticized President Obama’s program and offered a list of alternatives, many shoppers who’d previously been loyal to Whole Foods organized a boycott. The reasoning seems to be that many who regularly shop there also hold liberal political views. Those who participated in the boycott found Mackey’s disagreement with the President to be distasteful. Why Mackey thought he knew something about healthcare––I don’t know. What healthcare has to do with the price of organic rice milk––I don’t know. Here’s a link to the New York Times blog piece about the whole thing: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/whole-foods-fight/?scp=1&sq=john%20mackey%20boycott&st=cse