Whether you eat organic grown kale from a local farm, or packaged kale sent from a farm one thousand miles away, it can say a lot about your shopping styles and culture. A farmer’s market, an Asian mart, and a large grocery chain have some similarities in products and the people that purchase those products. More importantly, there are much more differences in the three types of shopping places. It’s not uncommon for most people to dread going grocery shopping. Growing up, my parents made one big trip once or twice a month to Wal-Mart just so they wouldn’t have to go again for a while. This same attitude is seen in the large grocery store I visited, but is absent is smaller markets. It seemed that people enjoyed shopping when there was less to choose from, and only foods they enjoyed. The different energies within the different shopping environments were one of the most interesting things I learned from this grocery adventure.
Greens, reds, oranges, and yellows. Just like the trees before winter hits, the fresh vegetables at the Allen St. Farmer’s Market shine with bright autumn colors. Small tables and stands contain an assortment of peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, apples, pears, tomatoes, and cabbage. People can enjoy cider and donuts at this time of year, as well as natural teas and ground coffee. A lot of variety is offered, yet there isn’t a large diversity of people or a large number of people present. The community members that enjoy fresh, healthy, seasonal, and local foods visit the farmer’s market more often. Julie Guthman’s article on alternative food practices talks about farmer’s markets being more of a white privilege activity that targets the poorer community, but the Allen St Farmer’s Market did not give this impression. The energy of vendors and consumers is very light and outgoing, and even though prices are fairly reasonable, it’s more of a way for the entire community to have fresh foods as well as for small farmers to sell their product.
It’s obvious that individuals enjoy the process of browsing over the fresh foods and don’t just grab and go, or feel negative about the practice. It’s not uncommon to hear customers and sellers conversing on how products are grown or produced. Some of the displays feature non-G.M.O. signs that convince people the product is better, but according to the online article, “How Square Watermelons Get Their Shape, and Other G.M.O. Misconceptions”, people also believe that products without that label do contain G.M.O.s. It was interesting to see this marketing technique and also something that further feeds the negativity associated with genetically modified organisms. Some vendors encourage tasting free samples, confident that their product will be desired. Those that visit the farmer’s market do so more as an experience rather than a chore for buying groceries for their home. People genuinely enjoy every aspect of this type of market.
Similar to the farmer’s market, the Oriental Mart in East Lansing also targets a certain population. Many international students and much of the Asian community visit the Oriental Mart for its culture-specific varieties. Walking into the store makes you feel as if you’re in another country. The people that shop here aren’t as engaging as those attending the farmer’s market, but there is more of a tight community in the Oriental Mart. Many people share the same languages, and even use them when checking out their items. My girlfriend’s dad, originally from Thailand, regularly speaks to employees who go into the back of the store to get him certain food items in bulk. That just shows how close-knit the people of the mart are. They can enjoy and embrace their culture while shopping for their groceries.
Shelves are lined with Asian lettered boxes, packages, and bottles. Customers commonly buy ten to twenty-pound bags of rice, a popular Asian staple food. One of the most interesting sections of the mart is the various meats. There are duck and chicken feet, duck necks, tongue, pig ears and stomach, gizzards, and even live tilapia and crab swimming in tanks. An entire isle is dedicated to varieties of soy sauce, another for different types of noodles. Fresh, homemade eggrolls sit by the checkout lines, warm and ready to be eaten. There are very few items that are familiar to someone not of Asian culture. Not only the foods, but the style and decorations within the store add to the Asian atmosphere of the store. There are lanterns and figures around the mart reflecting Asian styles. Overall, the Oriental Mart made me feel very immersed in the culture, especially when compared to the larger grocery store I visited.
Much larger in actual size and product choices, Meijer grocery stores are very different than the Oriental Mart and the Allen St Farmer’s Market. When entering the store, you may feel as if you are at a farmer’s market thanks to the varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits making the initial perceptions of the store very attractive and healthful. Further into the store, however, there are more options to purchase, mostly foods in boxes and packages, similar to that of the Oriental Mart. If you pay attention to signs and labels, there are specific areas dedicated to culture-specific foods, though quite small. Most of the foods are very familiar to the people that live in the area and do not target a specific culture. The store attracts more people too, because of the many non-food items for sale. You can shop for groceries and at the same time buy anything you may need around the house, such as laundry soap or a new television.
Being able to buy such a large assortment of items is the main reason larger stores like Meijer attract so many different people. Many people that do shop at smaller markets also shop at Meijer for other things. It’s a convenient store, especially for families and college students in the area. Something that makes this store much different from the farmer’s market and the Oriental Mart is the relationship between the people and their ways of shopping. You don’t see many people hanging out in isles of food or conversing with one another as often. It seems as if many would rather get in, find the things they came to purchase, pay for everything, and just get out. People almost dread going grocery shopping so they try to get it done as fast as possible. Self-checkouts make this even easier for shoppers. They don’t have to talk with a cashier, they can bag their own items and pay as fast as they want. People prefer to grab and go and don’t necessarily enjoy the process as much.
Visiting these three different market places did, in a way, change the way I feel about shopping. I’ve never really looked at buying groceries as a chore and something to be disliked, but visiting smaller, less overwhelming places, really made grocery shopping even more enjoyable for me. I absolutely loved the Oriental Mart, checking out the vast array of strange meats and jarred foods. Not to mention, the fresh egg rolls were to die for. I also really enjoyed the farmer’s market. Never having been to one, it put a smile on my face to see people actually enjoying and having more of a personal relationship with the foods they were buying. I won’t stop shopping at Meijer because of the less positive energy, but I will probably visit smaller places more often. Actually being more aware of how these places functioned made it clear how different they actually are.
Greens, reds, oranges, and yellows. Just like the trees before winter hits, the fresh vegetables at the Allen St. Farmer’s Market shine with bright autumn colors. Small tables and stands contain an assortment of peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, apples, pears, tomatoes, and cabbage. People can enjoy cider and donuts at this time of year, as well as natural teas and ground coffee. A lot of variety is offered, yet there isn’t a large diversity of people or a large number of people present. The community members that enjoy fresh, healthy, seasonal, and local foods visit the farmer’s market more often. Julie Guthman’s article on alternative food practices talks about farmer’s markets being more of a white privilege activity that targets the poorer community, but the Allen St Farmer’s Market did not give this impression. The energy of vendors and consumers is very light and outgoing, and even though prices are fairly reasonable, it’s more of a way for the entire community to have fresh foods as well as for small farmers to sell their product.
It’s obvious that individuals enjoy the process of browsing over the fresh foods and don’t just grab and go, or feel negative about the practice. It’s not uncommon to hear customers and sellers conversing on how products are grown or produced. Some of the displays feature non-G.M.O. signs that convince people the product is better, but according to the online article, “How Square Watermelons Get Their Shape, and Other G.M.O. Misconceptions”, people also believe that products without that label do contain G.M.O.s. It was interesting to see this marketing technique and also something that further feeds the negativity associated with genetically modified organisms. Some vendors encourage tasting free samples, confident that their product will be desired. Those that visit the farmer’s market do so more as an experience rather than a chore for buying groceries for their home. People genuinely enjoy every aspect of this type of market.
Similar to the farmer’s market, the Oriental Mart in East Lansing also targets a certain population. Many international students and much of the Asian community visit the Oriental Mart for its culture-specific varieties. Walking into the store makes you feel as if you’re in another country. The people that shop here aren’t as engaging as those attending the farmer’s market, but there is more of a tight community in the Oriental Mart. Many people share the same languages, and even use them when checking out their items. My girlfriend’s dad, originally from Thailand, regularly speaks to employees who go into the back of the store to get him certain food items in bulk. That just shows how close-knit the people of the mart are. They can enjoy and embrace their culture while shopping for their groceries.
Shelves are lined with Asian lettered boxes, packages, and bottles. Customers commonly buy ten to twenty-pound bags of rice, a popular Asian staple food. One of the most interesting sections of the mart is the various meats. There are duck and chicken feet, duck necks, tongue, pig ears and stomach, gizzards, and even live tilapia and crab swimming in tanks. An entire isle is dedicated to varieties of soy sauce, another for different types of noodles. Fresh, homemade eggrolls sit by the checkout lines, warm and ready to be eaten. There are very few items that are familiar to someone not of Asian culture. Not only the foods, but the style and decorations within the store add to the Asian atmosphere of the store. There are lanterns and figures around the mart reflecting Asian styles. Overall, the Oriental Mart made me feel very immersed in the culture, especially when compared to the larger grocery store I visited.
Much larger in actual size and product choices, Meijer grocery stores are very different than the Oriental Mart and the Allen St Farmer’s Market. When entering the store, you may feel as if you are at a farmer’s market thanks to the varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits making the initial perceptions of the store very attractive and healthful. Further into the store, however, there are more options to purchase, mostly foods in boxes and packages, similar to that of the Oriental Mart. If you pay attention to signs and labels, there are specific areas dedicated to culture-specific foods, though quite small. Most of the foods are very familiar to the people that live in the area and do not target a specific culture. The store attracts more people too, because of the many non-food items for sale. You can shop for groceries and at the same time buy anything you may need around the house, such as laundry soap or a new television.
Being able to buy such a large assortment of items is the main reason larger stores like Meijer attract so many different people. Many people that do shop at smaller markets also shop at Meijer for other things. It’s a convenient store, especially for families and college students in the area. Something that makes this store much different from the farmer’s market and the Oriental Mart is the relationship between the people and their ways of shopping. You don’t see many people hanging out in isles of food or conversing with one another as often. It seems as if many would rather get in, find the things they came to purchase, pay for everything, and just get out. People almost dread going grocery shopping so they try to get it done as fast as possible. Self-checkouts make this even easier for shoppers. They don’t have to talk with a cashier, they can bag their own items and pay as fast as they want. People prefer to grab and go and don’t necessarily enjoy the process as much.
Visiting these three different market places did, in a way, change the way I feel about shopping. I’ve never really looked at buying groceries as a chore and something to be disliked, but visiting smaller, less overwhelming places, really made grocery shopping even more enjoyable for me. I absolutely loved the Oriental Mart, checking out the vast array of strange meats and jarred foods. Not to mention, the fresh egg rolls were to die for. I also really enjoyed the farmer’s market. Never having been to one, it put a smile on my face to see people actually enjoying and having more of a personal relationship with the foods they were buying. I won’t stop shopping at Meijer because of the less positive energy, but I will probably visit smaller places more often. Actually being more aware of how these places functioned made it clear how different they actually are.