Oy!

What really cracked me up about these ostrich eggs in Wholefoods was the label below them: LOCAL.

At least it means I don't have to smuggle empty eggs back to New York any more, as gifts for friends, or myself, for that matter. I was quite interested in these until I saw the dates stencilled on them. April all round. I don't know...

Local may be the new tyranny. I support the principle, of course. It's just so faddy. It's as if food people only just discovered that perhaps it's not such a great idea to import everything out of season. It's like welcome to the bleeding obvious.

Wholefoods is odd, too. I buy a lot of fruit and vegetables that are not organic, because I must, but I draw the line at soft fruits like strawberries (and leaves, and anything I can't or won't peel) which basically act as sponges for pest- and herbicides. And there was a huge, sweet-smelling, red display of them in the produce section. Driscoll's brand. There was nothing on the carton to indicate that it was organic. Wholefoods, right? It should be?

[Wrong, actually, silly me: from their website: "Are all of Whole Foods Market's products organic? No. All foods and beverages carried in Whole Foods Market stores are natural and meet strict quality standards, meaning that they are free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners and preservatives; however, they are not all certified organic. Whole Foods Market offers its customers an unprecedented array of choices from conventional to certified organic, and supports farmers and food artisans from around the corner and around the world. The company does have a commitment to featuring organic choices whenever possible, as it believes the growing methods are more sustainable for people and the planet."]

I wandered some more. Another pile of strawberries, also Driscoll's. But this time with a green label, that said Organic. These strawberries looked a little anaemic. The poisonous ones looked and smelled much better. And had a much larger store-presence, enticingly arranged next to short bread...

I guess I'll wait for the real thing at the farmers' markets. They're not always guaranteed organic, but at least the pesticides they've been sprayed with are Local.