Making Groceries locally.

The most recent food news is the move by Rouse's Supermarkets to buy all of the Sav-A-Center locations in our region. Rouse is a Houma based 16 store chain that focuses on stocking local seafood and produce and has started some natural food buying for their stores as well.

I often shop at the Rouse in Mandeville when I am over at my family's house-every few months-and I like it fine. Good selections, nice staff.
Also having met with the buyers and senior staff a few years ago (when working on our White Boot Brigade, the traveling shrimper roadshow we hold every year in different areas) I was impressed with their connections to the culture and issues we face in our watery region of the world.

Good news I hope.

Speaking of food, have you been to Mardi Gras Zone grocery store on Royal in the Marigny? I do like this store, although being in MidCity, I get to shop at Terranova's and now Canseco's in my own walking neighborhood.
But, I do go out of my way to go there, when staying with friends in the area, or when I need a Mardi Gras boa, or a new broom.
I hear a lot of grumbling from Marigny friends about surly service (which they undoubtedly have) and high prices (although they don't seem that high), and when I ask the grumblers if they go and talk to the owner, they always look a bit confused and slightly miffed that I think they should have to do that.

Recently, a guy was at a yard sale on Chartres when I was there(I picked up a Ventures surf album, Janis Joplin and Big Brother & Holding Company album with R. Crumb cover and book about Peter Jenkins walk across america with his wife, which I had already read but enjoyed a second time and then donated to the Iron Rail Book Collective-all for 3 dollars), and while there heard him saying when someone asked him if he shopped at Mardi Gras Zone, "Hell, no, the prices are too high and I can't get everything I need, so I just go to WalMart"

Huh?

How does that figure?
-and when did we make it a priority to get EVERYTHING at one store?

So, he would rather have to drive across town, walk miles through a corporate behometh who is known for shitty working practices (which does great things for their customer service!), and buy his dog food there so he saves 90 cents, rather than buy some items at MGZ, try to utilize this local guy trying to bring food into his neighborhood, take the time on his trip to make some suggestions to the owners to make it better, and maybe ride a bike or yes, drive to MidCity to Canseco's or Terranova's and get the rest.

folks, when are we going to take the control back and go to stores and have conversations (maybe a few times before we give up) eye to eye with people who OWN their stores or have a commitment to an area and give them some cred for trying and help them to be better.

This is the state of our food system in a nutshell; we have given control away and then whine about stores that are not large enough for a massive monthly trip for food, and that don't have 12 different kinds of peanut butter (even though we only buy one kind), and where you have to park on a city street 1/2 block away.
Yes, I do it without having to go to those stores for 99.9 percent of my life. I shop at 2 local stores, at the farmers markets and then buy items from my monthly buying club. I stay away from soul-draining corporate monuments to unfeeling globalization, and as a result, I feel empowered.

I say, go to the local stores and ask for service, and soy milk and better local produce. Chances are, you might win.