This afternoon I went grocery shopping at Berkeley Bowl to begin preparing for the One-Gen Program (which begins tomorrow…). For those of you not in the SF area, Berkeley Bowl is a mecca of sustainable food. Their produce department is astounding. Their organic produce department is the size of most chain grocery stores and the conventional produce section is HUGE! They have an aisle devoted to different kinds of pluots, another one for apples, another to citrus. I never knew there were so many varieties of produce! They also kindly list the region where it was grown.
In my everyday life, my food repertoire is pretty simple – buy what looks good and is appealing at the moment. It’s great satisfaction to my inner child, but not so healthy in the long run.
The thing about the One-Gen Program is that it is inviting me to approach my relationship with food differently. Rather than being able to grab a quick meal from a restaurant or off the shelf, I’m going to have to give thought to preparing meals & making sure that the house is stocked with lots of fresh food.
A Sampling of My Berkeley Bowl Bounty
Before I went to the store, I made a list. But as I went through the aisles I was overwhelmed by the choices and had a hard time knowing just what to buy. I found myself going to my old standards like watermelon, nectarines and romaine lettuce. However, my intention is to use the next six weeks to learn how to create a more varied and delicious experience with minimally-processed foods.
…and it is not lost on me that when so many people around the world are going hungry, my challenge this afternoon was to decide between the 10 kinds of tomatoes they’re stocking in the store. Many years ago, I was speaking with someone who emigrated from Russia during the Cold War. At the time there were food shortages in Russia and life was very hard. I asked her what her reaction was the first time she stepped foot in a U.S. grocery store. She said that she was overwhelmed by the choices and that she had to turn around and leave without buying a thing.
An abundance of choice is not always the easiest thing to navigate.
I’m writing about this in case you’re experiencing a similar challenge. It’s easy to get into a pattern and to feel overwhelm when faced with choosing a new way to experience the world.
I’m so happy our friend, Shelee, will be serving as our Food Coach for the One-Gen Program! I’m going to ask her to take me on a field trip to the Berkeley Bowl to teach me to shop… and then I’ll share what I learn with you. Together we’ll forge new ground and discover new ways to navigate the grocery store.