I'd contemplated a trip to Target during my Sunday afternoon errands, but then remembered that they are carpet-bombing Milwaukee with advertising for their fresh food selection. It's unfortunate that while Target has accurately keyed in to the problem of poor grocery logistics in Milwaukee, I imagine that only about 10% of the urban population lives within a mile of a Target store. In reality, grocery shopping increasingly gets shifted to chain drugstores, large convenience stores or even less appropriate venues. While picking up a few items at Walgreens in Thiensville, I noted that the cost of a typical box of cereal is now $5.99. In exchange for tolerating the price of a box of 24-karat Gold Flakes, we get to spend our free time viewing advertising from the large food corporations and shoveling junk mail out of our mailboxes. While walking back on the trail, I felt some appropriate outrage at this situation and loudly shouted "FUCK THAT!" (Thankfully, no one was nearby.) Then I forgot about it--until it came time to write this post.
*Epic fail* for us as a society. Despite the recession, we are a society of unbelievable and unprecedented surplus. We can have our Alterra cafes, where the Sunday afternoon employees have more fun than I have on most of my dates, serving a mostly childless population that is relatively insensitive to food prices. Yet we can't engineer a society where in food terms, everyone is welcome, everyone has a seat at the table and the price of admission is reasonable and affordable. I'm not implying any relationship between these two situations, other than the thought that folks like me who are less impacted by these pressing issues don't always give enough attention to them, even if there isn't a direct personal tie-in.
Speaking of Alterra, if a box of cereal costs $5.99, the consumer may as well take that money to Alterra and purchase a pound of their granola--which is probably ten times as nutritious--for $6.50. If my medium-term life plan of marrying and having kids pans out, these issues will move from the back burner of my consciousness to front and center. I'll have to hope the young 'uns loves them some Alterra granola, as that will probably be the best bargain in town!
